Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-03

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Do you think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

It is undeniable that education is most important thing in today's world. In this regard, all university undergraduates courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. This essay will discuss the both advantages and disadvantages which will be outlined in forthcoming paragraphs with a logical conclusion. According to me, benefits are more than disadvantages.

To commence with, there are many merits of studying abroad and doing a work placement. The first and foremost is access to many job opportunities. To explain, going abroad give many employment opportunities to many people so, it is often regard as the best way to improve the financial status. For instance, there are many kind of jobs which regard as a most significant in need of workers such as jobs in cafes, restaurants and gas stations in the foreign countries. Secondly, it leads to personal growth. To elaborate, if a person do a job along with the study in abroad he or she can learn new practical skills which theoretical studies not offers. As a result, people will not only able to earn money but, also built a higher status in the society and personal growth. Furthermore, people can get knowledge about the foreign culture. To clarify, students who decide to move abroad to study, they can get information and experience about their cultures, languages they spoke in the different areas.

However, there are also few disadvantages of the given notion. The prime one is financial burden. To justify, travelling to a different country covers huge costs and it is difficult for low-income students to handle those all costs. For example, travelling abroad for student covers huge expenses such as visa, tickets, exam and interview costs. Therefore, it lead to financial burden for poor families. Moreover, it reduces population and workforce for a country which is also a significant problem for future.

In conclusion, although there are many pros of spending time studying abroad or doing placement such as higher income, higher status, personal growth and employment opportunities. Yet, cons cannot be neglected at any cost.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing both advantages and disadvantages and a clear position. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument regarding 'job opportunities' focuses on low-skilled work like 'cafes and restaurants' rather than the professional development expected in an undergraduate context. Similarly, the point about 'reducing population' is not clearly linked to the topic of university courses. While the position is clear, the supporting arguments lack the depth required for a higher band score. To improve, focus on providing more sophisticated, relevant examples that directly relate to the academic and professional benefits of studying abroad.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with', 'Furthermore', and 'However', which help guide the reader. However, some of these devices are used in a slightly mechanical or repetitive way. Additionally, there are some issues with referencing and sentence-level flow, such as the awkward phrasing in the conclusion: 'Yet, cons cannot be neglected at any cost.' Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'undeniable' and 'forthcoming', but the range is somewhat limited. Some word choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as 'doing a work placement' (often 'undertaking' or 'completing') and 'regard as a most significant in need of workers'. There are also minor errors in collocation and word form, such as 'theoretical studies not offers'. Expanding the range of academic vocabulary and focusing on precise collocations would help reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('going abroad give', 'person do a job', 'it lead to'), article usage ('the foreign countries'), and awkward sentence construction ('students who decide to move abroad to study, they can get...'). These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, before attempting more complex structures.

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