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)

In recent years, all the universities undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad and doing a work placement has become increasingly widespread. While this trend offers several benefits, it also has some notable drawbacks.

One of the main advantages is that students can gain practical experience that they do not get from university level. It is a good chance for students to gain experience in different subjects which are very useful for their future. For example, work placement help students to understand how a industry works and develop useful skills. Another positive impact is that studying abroad can help students to increase their confidence level and communication skills, They meet people of different cultures and enhance your language skills.

However, there are also some disadvantages to consider. One major drawback is that studying abroad is very expensive for some students. They could not arrange the travel or living expenses. They do not have good communication skills and have a lack of confidence level. They do not understand the new culture, international language and rules and regulations of the new country that's why they do not apply for studying abroad for the higher studies. For example, some students have hand to mouth to manage their daily life expenses so that's why they prefer jobs instead of studies

In conclusion, although all the universities undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement has clear advantages. Its disadvantages should not be overlooked.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, but the position is not clearly maintained throughout. While the introduction mentions both sides, the conclusion fails to clearly state whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, leaving the reader without a definitive stance. The ideas are relevant, such as gaining practical experience and the financial burden of studying abroad, but they are somewhat under-developed. For instance, the argument regarding students being 'hand to mouth' is a good point but lacks sufficient elaboration to fully support the claim. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that the conclusion explicitly answers the prompt's question.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition 'Another positive impact is' is standard, but the flow between sentences within the third paragraph is disjointed. The referencing is also inconsistent; in the second paragraph, the text shifts from 'students' (third person) to 'enhance your language skills' (second person), which creates confusion. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring consistent pronoun usage would significantly enhance the logical progression of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'experience' and 'skills'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'a industry' (should be 'an industry') and 'hand to mouth to manage', which is an idiomatic expression used incorrectly in this context. To reach a higher band, focus on using more academic collocations and precise vocabulary related to education and employment, while ensuring that idiomatic expressions are used accurately and appropriately for the formal tone of an essay.

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. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'work placement help students'), article usage (e.g., 'a industry'), and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'all the universities undergraduate courses should include... has become'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly the comma splice in the second paragraph: '...communication skills, They meet people...'. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring subject-verb agreement, and proofreading for punctuation errors. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also help raise the score.

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