Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-07
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 often suggested that before completing the undergraduate studies students should do some kind of internship. In my opinion this will have far more advantages for students as they will have experience before they graduate and it will help them in finding a good position in a top firm.
Firstly talking about the advantages, if a person has a professional experience he will find himself more confident in landing a good job. It will boost his confidence. He will have more chances of growing because he does not have to start everything from scratch. For instance, a computer science student who completes an internship at a software company will already know how to work in a team, meet deadlines, and use industry-standard tools.
On the other hand there are some flaws, a student who is studying as well as doing an internship will not be able to focus on his studies that can cause him to achieve less grades with that due to mismanagement of time and not taking proper rest can also cause health issues. In addition, there are many companies that give very less salary and make interns do a lot of hard work. There should be a check on every firm so there is no exploitation.
In conclusion, the advantages are much greater if an intern gets professional experience, time management skills and much more but we cannot overlook the disadvantages, there should be a check on every company so that there are no inters that are being exploited.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While the benefits of internships are supported with a relevant example regarding computer science students, the discussion of disadvantages is less balanced and slightly repetitive. The essay touches upon academic performance and exploitation, but these points could be expanded with more depth to reach a higher band. The conclusion restates the position but does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task, but the depth of analysis is inconsistent.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as in the sentence 'with that due to mismanagement of time', where the connection to the previous clause is unclear. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion, though the transition between the benefits and drawbacks could be smoother.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at using topic-specific vocabulary like 'industry-standard tools' and 'exploitation'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing, such as 'do some kind of internship' or 'achieve less grades'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'give very less salary' instead of 'offer low wages'. To improve, the student should aim for more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary.
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, such as 'achieve less grades' (should be 'achieve lower grades'), 'there are no inters that are being exploited' (awkward phrasing), and issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices in the conclusion. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. A greater focus on sentence variety and proofreading for basic errors would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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