Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-12

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)

All university bachelors courses should include a period of time spent studying foreign or doing work placement. I would discuss the benefits and drawbacks of this statement.

To initiate with, studying abroad is a great opportunity for everyone people can attain their goals while studying in abroad. One major advantage of studying abroad is student can experience different culture and become more independent. Moreover, studying in different county encourage young people communicate with different individuals and they can also improve their language and social skills. Moreover, exposure to different education system can help students new ways of thinking. For example a student studying business in India may learns some useful international practices by spending a semester at a university in another country.

In addition, working placement help the student for their better future and its very helpful. After that, University only provide theoretical knowledge whereas, practical experience allow them to applied in real work places. Moreover, students can develop their knowledge, communication leadership and also it produce a skill such as team work.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages of studying abroad such as its abundantly expensive and some students may find the difficulty to adapt new culture or environment. Similarly, work placement may reduce the time available of academic study. Nevertheless, these difficulty may reduce providing financial support and allowing student to choose placement related to their subject.

To encapsulate, this phenomenon has multifarious pros as well as cons. But, still in my perception its optimistic side overshadow the pessimistic one.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention benefits like cultural exposure and practical experience, the explanations are brief and lack depth. For instance, the point about 'theoretical knowledge' versus 'practical experience' is a good start but could be expanded with more specific examples. The position is clear throughout, and you conclude by stating that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more detailed explanation and a concrete example to fully support your claims, rather than listing multiple points in a brief manner.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'To initiate with', 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions between ideas. However, some of these devices are used mechanically or slightly inappropriately, such as 'After that' to introduce a new point. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'these difficulty may reduce providing financial support', where the connection to the previous argument is slightly muddled. Improving the variety and natural flow of your linking words will help the essay move more smoothly between points.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary like 'theoretical knowledge', 'practical experience', and 'multifarious'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'studying foreign' (should be 'studying abroad'), 'studying in abroad', 'different county' (likely meant 'country'), and 'abundantly expensive' (which is not a standard collocation). To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. Expanding your range of vocabulary to include more sophisticated synonyms will also enhance your score.

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 hinder the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('student can experience', 'working placement help'), article usage ('the difficulty to adapt new culture'), and word form errors ('allow them to applied'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, pay closer attention to basic grammar rules such as pluralization, verb tenses, and the correct use of prepositions. Focusing on proofreading your work for these recurring errors will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.