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)

The increasing prevalence of sending undergraduate students' for studying and working in a foreign country for a short period. Although this development has certain drawbacks, I believe that its advantages are more significant and outweigh the disadvantages. This essay will discuss the reasons behind my opinion.

To begin with, one notable disadvantage of this trend is that it can reduce students' concentration. This is primarily because when they get this opportunity in terms of getting professional experience, they may spend their valuable time in visiting different destinations. As a result, students' may lose this valuable chance, which will prove a career leader for them not only in personal life but also in professional life. For instance, students' who grab this opportunity only for learning and acquiring skill, they may waste their time just for adventures. As a result, this step may minimize their academic performance.

Despite this drawback, one key advantage of this development is that it can provide students' better career opportunities. This is mainly because this allows learners to get better international exposure, this will prove beneficial for them in term of employment. For example, individuals who have good communication and critical-thinking skills may get the chance to work abroad. Therefore, this is highly beneficial for undergraduate learners.

In conclusion, while this development has several drawbacks, I firmly believe that its advantages, particularly it can provide valuable opportunities for students' in the long run, outweigh the drawbacks. Overall, this development can be regarded as a positive one because of its greater benefits for undergraduate students'.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, maintaining a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The argument regarding the disadvantage (reduced concentration) is repetitive and lacks depth, while the advantage (career opportunities) is stated rather than fully explored with specific, convincing evidence. The introduction is a sentence fragment, which impacts the overall clarity of the task response. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed examples and ensure that each paragraph fully explores the implications of the points raised rather than repeating the same idea in different words.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Despite this drawback', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of referencing is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly forced. Furthermore, the first sentence of the essay is a fragment, which disrupts the flow. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'international exposure', 'professional experience', and 'critical-thinking skills'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a recurring issue with the unnecessary use of apostrophes in plural nouns (e.g., 'students'', 'destinations''). These errors are frequent and detract from the overall quality of the writing. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure that punctuation rules for plurals and possessives are applied correctly.

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, particularly with sentence construction and punctuation. The opening sentence is a fragment, lacking a main verb. Additionally, there is a persistent misuse of the apostrophe in plural nouns (e.g., 'students''), which is a recurring error. While the writer attempts complex sentences, these often contain minor errors that, while not impeding communication, prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic punctuation errors would significantly improve the score.

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