Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-16

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)

Many people argue that if the universities should include a period of time to spend on realizing whether to work on placements or to pursue higher studies in foreign countries. In my opinion, pros of this would definitely outweigh cons because this could provide students to examine their interests and future goals.

First reason why having span of time to discuss about getting a job or planning for future studies would give a outline to their goals or dreams. Students who plan to have employment soon after passing can start building their skills to have higher opportunities to get in to their aspired job. For the people who are keen to do their higher studies would help to prepare for the universities requirements before ahead so that it would make their process smoother. Additionally, it provides people to realize if their are aiming for right job or a course. For instance: a student aiming for German master's need to learn German language and also should get IELTS certificate, if he is guided before ahead of graduation then he can plan according to that so that he doesn't miss the opportunity.

With regard to cons, students tend to focus on one particular path, it might be searching for a work but realizes he is not experienced much and wants to do masters in his interested sector. I feel their merely cons with regard to the time they will be spending on time to decide their future.

In conclusion, If universities include a course for realizing or deciding for students to have a job or to pursue higher education can help them to reduce failures and focus on what they are aiming for their future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the interpretation of the task is slightly confused. The prompt asks about 'studying abroad or doing a work placement,' whereas the essay focuses on a general 'period of time to decide' between work or study. This shift in focus means the response does not fully address the specific requirements of the prompt. While a position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. The arguments regarding preparation for university or employment are relevant, but the connection to the specific requirement of 'studying abroad' or 'work placements' is missing, which limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the logical progression is hindered by awkward phrasing and some mechanical use of cohesive devices. For example, 'First reason why having span of time...' is grammatically incomplete and disrupts the flow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the third paragraph where the subject 'he' is used without a clear antecedent. While the essay is coherent enough to be understood, the transitions between ideas are often abrupt or rely on repetitive structures, preventing a higher score in this criterion.

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 unnatural collocation and word choice errors, such as 'before ahead' (redundant) and 'merely cons' (incorrect usage). The student relies on basic vocabulary to express ideas, such as 'good' or 'right job', rather than more sophisticated academic alternatives. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the presence of errors in word choice limit the lexical range to a 5.5 level.

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 readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('a student... need to learn'), missing articles ('the universities requirements'), and awkward sentence construction ('if he is guided before ahead of graduation then he can plan according to that'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of colons and commas. While the student attempts complex structures, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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

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