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 the most important thing in today's world. In this regard, all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. This essay will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages which will be outlined in forthcoming paragraphs with a logical conclusion. In my perspective, 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 proivde many employment opportunities to many people so it is often regards 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 the 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 speak in the different areas.

However, there are also a 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 essay addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, and a clear position is maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument regarding 'job opportunities' focuses on low-skilled roles like 'cafes and restaurants,' which does not fully capture the academic or professional intent of a university work placement. The conclusion is also quite brief and fails to synthesize the arguments effectively, merely listing points mentioned earlier. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced examples and ensure the conclusion reflects the depth of the discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'To commence with,' 'Furthermore,' and 'However' to signal transitions. However, some of these devices are used in a slightly mechanical or repetitive way. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear; for instance, in the second paragraph, the phrase 'theoretical studies not offers' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved by varying the linking phrases and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic descriptors like 'important,' 'many,' and 'huge.' There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'regards as a most significant in need of workers' and 'built a higher status.' While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or idiomatic language limits the score. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to education and professional development.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently make errors with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'going abroad proivde,' 'if a person do a job,' 'theoretical studies not offers') and article usage. There are also issues with sentence fragments and awkward phrasing, such as 'it lead to financial burden.' While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly verb forms and pluralization, will significantly improve your writing.

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