Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-13
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 suggested that all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. There are many advantages and disadvantages of this but I think that the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages. This essay will discuss the positive and negative aspects we implement this.
On the one hand, there are several advantages of studying abroad or doing a work placement. First and foremost, studying abroad will give students the international exposure, they will establish connections with international students and companies that will be beneficial for them in future. Moreover, they can also enhance their abilities like discipline, confidence and motivational skills. Furthermore, work placement during studying helps them practical their skills which they learn throughout their studies. Additionally, when they get permanent job after completing their studies they also know the working environment which they got during work placement so they will familiar with it.
On the other hand, there are several negative aspects of making compulsary a period of studying abroad. The most prominent disadvantage is that not every student come from wealthy family so it will quite difficult to manage expenses that will needed for studying abroad. Moreover, some students who are not quite interested in studies might left their universities if they get work placement during studies. Additionaly, another disadvantage is that it is quite difficult to manage these opportunities for medical students.
In conclusion, from my perspective university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad by providing deserving students with scholarship facilities, so it will easy for them to grab the opportunities. Moreover, government should also give subsidies to students to provide them studying abroad or work placement opportunities.
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 all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as international exposure and financial constraints. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the point about medical students is mentioned but not explained in detail. The essay stays on topic throughout, but the arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. The conclusion introduces new ideas (scholarships and government subsidies) which, while relevant, would have been better placed in the body paragraphs to support the main argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'First and foremost', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages and disadvantages. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the connection between sentences could be smoother in some places, particularly in the second body paragraph where the flow between the financial argument and the medical student argument feels a bit disjointed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'international exposure', 'work placement', and 'subsidies'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'practical their skills' (should be 'practice') and 'making compulsary' (should be 'making compulsory'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. There are also minor spelling errors like 'Additionaly' and 'compulsary' which, while not impeding communication, indicate a need for more careful proofreading.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'not every student come from' (should be 'comes'), 'might left their universities' (should be 'might leave'), and 'it will easy' (should be 'it will be easy'). These errors are frequent but do not prevent the reader from understanding the intended meaning. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs and auxiliary verbs in complex sentences.
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.