Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-18
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 tertiary bachelor programmes ought to be added a period of time spent studying or doing a work placement in any other country. In my perspective, the advantages of this practice would outweigh the disadvantages because it helps candidates in their future employment goals.
The disadvantages of this thing is that it includes both the financial and academic risk. This is because a significant amount of the money requires during this process before visa file and a gap may cause disturbance in achieving good grades. For example, every student must have to spent money and time for the legalization of documents. Therefore, if student visa get rejected so he have to try again in next semester which may cause a gap between his studies.
The advantages are more then the disadvantages of going abroad for studies or doing a work placement. Students get an essential knowledge about their course which also put a great impact on their profile and make them best candidate for getting good jobs in their future. For instance, there are two candidates sitting in an interview, one completed a year work placement in other nation, whereas the other has more experience in the field but do not have any foreign experience or qualification. As a result, interviewer always prefer to hire the first candidate because he brings an international practices in their company.
In conclusion, all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time in which students study or completing a work placement program in any other nation. This practice finds beneficial for the candidates for securing a high paying job in the market in smaller time period, because they bring worldwide practices in the firms.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| 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 taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as financial risks and career prospects. However, the development is somewhat limited. The discussion on disadvantages is brief and lacks depth, while the advantages section relies on a single hypothetical example. To achieve a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations or broader real-world examples. The conclusion restates the position clearly, but the overall development remains somewhat superficial, preventing a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'The disadvantages of this thing is that...' and 'The advantages are more then the disadvantages'. While referencing is generally clear, the transition between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'added a period of time' instead of 'include a period of time', and 'legalization of documents' which is slightly imprecise in this context. You also use 'more then' instead of 'more than'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited to common terms. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and academic vocabulary related to education and employment.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'every student must have to spent money' (should be 'must spend'), 'if student visa get rejected' (should be 'if a student visa gets rejected'), and 'he brings an international practices' (should be 'he brings international practices'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic verb tense and article consistency.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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