Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-23
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)
As the essay implies that all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad’s or doing a work placement.
In my opinion the advantage of this will outweigh the disadvantage because if students go to abroad for studying or work placement, it will build confidence in them, in a very young age they will get to know how to deal with people of different nature. They also get a chance to travel world which is a significant thing for students, they get a chance to explore nature and enhance their knowledge. And the work placement will help them to learn new things, while studying abroad makes children resilient. They know how to live alone , and how to manage things by living alone.
They will learn how to overcome their flaws, this will bolster their belief in themselves. After coming to abroad they will also have the opportunity to enhance their skills. It also develops the emotional side in them because when they spend some time away from their family , this will get to know their importance. Students also learn language, they get to know about different cultures. There are also disadvantages like financial burden, homesickness and academies burden. And it is difficult for some students in that age to manage everything so soothly so they become stressed. These are some drawbacks of studying abroad.
To conclude I will say that the advantages of this will outside the disadvantages because advantages are greater than disadvantages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention benefits like confidence, resilience, and cultural awareness, these points are listed rather than fully extended with specific examples or logical reasoning. The disadvantages are mentioned briefly but lack depth. To improve, you should focus on one or two key arguments per paragraph and provide concrete examples or explanations to support them. The introduction is also problematic as it is written as a sentence fragment rather than a complete statement of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the structure is quite basic. The flow between ideas is often abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and repetitive (e.g., 'They also', 'And the', 'It also'). The transition between the advantages and the disadvantages is sudden, lacking a clear linking phrase to signal the shift in perspective. Furthermore, the conclusion is very brief and does not effectively summarise the main points discussed in the body paragraphs. Improving the use of transition signals and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the logical flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'get to know', 'learn new things', and 'manage things'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'academies burden' instead of 'academic burden' and 'outside the disadvantages' instead of 'outweigh the disadvantages'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary and precise collocations related to the topic of international education and professional development.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement, incorrect preposition use ('go to abroad'), and punctuation errors. For example, the opening sentence is a fragment, and there are issues with article usage ('travel world'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy will help improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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