Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14
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 has been universally acknowledge that every university undergraduate programs should include a period of time spent studying foreign or doing a work placement. Although the main demerits are are financial problem and parents agreement, there are several merits of this trend too.
On the one hand, one of the major disadvantages of this trend is the financial problem, which is due to fact that many people face money problem and they study in universities by lending the money for other person and many students take loan from bank. The rearmost coherent drawback is parents permission which means that many parents are very strict and never allow their children to go abroad.
On the other hand, there are various evidences in its favour which are substantial. Out of many, the major one is the knowledge enhancing. To elaborate, if students travel many new places then they get chance to learn many new things in their life and also about the new places. This will make them capable to adapt different enviornment. Another benefit is that study becomes interesting. This is due to fact that students never feel bore and they do study with great interest. One final thing that cannot be ignored is the our attitude. To justify, no matter how much educated if our attitude is not right.
To conclude, even though there are negative aspects, the main positive aspects re enhancing knowledge and make study interesting. Therefore the trend of spending study time in abroad should continue as it can benefit the society and people.
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 the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. However, the development of ideas is limited. While the disadvantages (financial issues and parental permission) are mentioned, they are not fully explored or supported with concrete examples. Similarly, the advantages, such as 'knowledge enhancing' and 'making study interesting,' are stated in a very general way without sufficient elaboration. The position is clear, but the lack of depth in the arguments prevents the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, you should provide specific examples or logical consequences for each point raised.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'This is due to fact that.' Additionally, some transitions between sentences are slightly awkward, such as the abrupt shift in the final body paragraph regarding 'our attitude.' Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally into the next 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. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'universally acknowledge' (should be 'acknowledged'), 'rearmost coherent drawback' (which is unclear), and 'study in abroad' (should be 'study abroad'). The use of 'money problem' is repetitive and simplistic. To improve, focus on learning more sophisticated collocations and academic vocabulary, and ensure that you use words in their correct grammatical form.
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 clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('every university undergraduate programs should'), missing articles ('take loan from bank'), and incorrect word forms ('if our attitude is not right' is an incomplete thought). While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of these errors limits the score. You should focus on proofreading for basic errors like pluralization, article usage, and sentence completeness to improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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