Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

nowadays, higher education is more fond to practical knowledge and skills rather then just focusing on the academic knowledge. many people believe that all university undergraduate courses should provide a period of time to study oversea or work placement by which students can gain realistic knowledge and experience different cultures. i believe that applying this system can outweigh many problems that students face in this generation.

Majority of students from universities believe that doing extra activities like jobs or oversea study can improve their way of understanding. firstly, studying abroad can give them more opportunities to work with different countries and companies at high level. living in the other country make students independent to make their own decision about their life. students will be more connect to new people and their cultures. students become more interactive with stranger which is an important skill needed while working.

youths believe that doing work will graduating gives them the idea of how to work in team or to interact with the other employees. doing work during university years provide more exposure to programmatic knowledge and work environment. moreover, students based on theoretical knowledge face more difficulties during their job placement after graduating. but the student that worked while the university year do not find that difficult while applying for the job.

to conclude, i believe that applying this system to all university will be beneficial for students as well as for country's economies and universities should provide more activities that improve students skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages of studying abroad or work placements. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you state your position clearly in the introduction, the arguments regarding 'programmatic knowledge' and 'interactive skills' are repetitive and lack specific, concrete examples to support the claims. The discussion of disadvantages is entirely absent, which prevents a balanced evaluation of whether the advantages 'outweigh' the disadvantages. To reach a higher band, you should provide a more nuanced exploration of potential drawbacks, such as financial costs or academic disruption, and then explain why the benefits are more significant.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. You use some cohesive devices like 'firstly', 'moreover', and 'to conclude', which help guide the reader. However, the connection between sentences within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between discussing studying abroad and work placements feels abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'applying this system', which could be more precisely defined. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'different', and 'important', and there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'more fond to' instead of 'more focused on' and 'programmatic knowledge' which is likely a misuse of 'practical' or 'applied' knowledge. There are also minor errors in collocation, such as 'more connect to'. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to education and professional development, while ensuring you use words in their correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'living in the other country make students'), article usage (e.g., 'for country's economies'), and prepositional errors. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization and spacing. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and consistent article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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