Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-20
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 true that entire tertiary education undergraduate modules ought to be a period of time utilize studying abroad or doing a work placement. Even though, there are myriad demerits , I believe that it brings far more merits.
On the one hand, there are plenty of aspects as to why studying foreign is not beneficial. Firstly, financial problems faced by parents. In simple words, to study abroad students need accommodation, food , clothes and traveling expenses which puts burden on their guardians to accomplish their fundamental needs. Thus, parents face mental and physical problems by completing their children needs. Secondly, homesickness might be faced by learners when they studying abroad. In other words, they are far away from their parents as they need to complete their everyday tasks by themself which leads them to feel loneliness .
On the other hand, plethora of pros related to this phenomenon . The first and the foremost one is that enhancement of soft skills. To elaborate it, if students have opportunity to studying abroad then they can learn communication skill, corporation, leadership and teamwork that helps them to being confident to achieve their goals. Apart from this, broaden the knowledge and experience. To explain it, learning foreign culture and tradition and language aids them to boost their knowledge as well as working placement helps them to gain experience which is essential for their entire life.
To conclude, financial problems and homesickness are main reasons behind this statement, I believe that its merits are far more considerable.
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 discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. The position is clear throughout, and the main ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on financial burdens and homesickness is brief, and the points regarding 'soft skills' and 'broadening knowledge' could be more deeply explored with specific examples or more nuanced reasoning. While the task is addressed, the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6 response, as the arguments remain somewhat superficial and lack sufficient elaboration to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'Firstly', and 'To elaborate it'. However, some of these transitions feel mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'In simple words' or 'To explain it'. Additionally, there are some issues with referencing and flow; for example, the sentence 'if students have opportunity to studying abroad then they can learn communication skill' lacks smooth integration. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the overall progression of ideas could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it is often repetitive and lacks precision. There are several instances of awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'studying foreign' instead of 'studying abroad', 'corporation' instead of 'cooperation', and 'completing their children needs' instead of 'meeting their children's needs'. While the student attempts to use some less common vocabulary like 'myriad' and 'plethora', the misuse of basic terms and grammatical inaccuracies in word forms (e.g., 'studying abroad' vs 'to study abroad') limit the range and accuracy. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning but lacks the flexibility required for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'parents face mental and physical problems by completing their children needs'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'when they studying abroad'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the writing from being considered error-free. The range of structures is limited, and the errors are noticeable enough to occasionally distract the reader.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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