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)

University undergraduate courses are helps to build the foundation of a person career. There are lot of benefits spending your time for studying or work related during undergraduate. However, there are also a consequences of following those methods.

University undergraduate courses build the person foundation and helping them to make critical choices in their field. Working in field or spending your time during undergraduate courses also have several benefits. For instance, working in a well known tech company provides you experience, wealth and new things to learn . Similarly, studying in abroad makes you understand the difference in the cultural learning and various approaches to solve the problem, which you might never witnessed in your own country. It does help you to improve your cultural difference and help your personal problems.

spending your time abroad for studying or doing a work also have negative impact on person. For example, the person who is in abroad country for undergraduate course face high language barrier in them because of that he can't share the information or feel difficulty for asking any favour. it doesn't only mean to studying abroad, person with job also may face difficulties in language and feeling overwhelming, at the starting of your career which led to demotivation.

In conclusion, studying abroad during undergraduate course or doing your job have significant advantages. Although i feel language barrier and feeling overwhelming due to work is a problem but we can manage it as we go through it and it's not a permanent problem we will stick with it anyways.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or work placements. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention benefits like gaining experience and cultural understanding, and drawbacks like language barriers, these points are not fully extended with concrete examples or deeper analysis. The position is clear, but the overall argument lacks the depth required for a higher band. To improve, ensure that each main point is supported by a specific, well-explained example or a logical consequence that demonstrates a thorough understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'it doesn't only mean to studying abroad' is awkward and disrupts the flow. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'the person who is in abroad country... face high language barrier in them'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would significantly enhance the logical flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks precision. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'build the foundation' and 'spending your time'. There are also some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'never witnessed in your own country' (should be 'experienced') and 'feeling overwhelming' (should be 'feeling overwhelmed'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to academic and professional contexts, and pay closer attention to the correct form of adjectives and nouns.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('University undergraduate courses are helps'), article usage ('in abroad country'), and awkward phrasing ('the person who is in abroad country... face high language barrier in them'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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