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)

Some argue that the universities including internships or giving students a chance studying abroad should be added for particular time to the undergraduate courses. I believe, this approach could have substantial advantages for student`s personal and academic growth.

Firstly, giving chance to students to go abroad for study would help them grow personally such as, they will learn about other culture, their knowledge will widened. Growing in another country would help them learn solving difficult situations on their own. It will build their confidence. For example, student learning in another country could receive knowledge from other teachers of the different country.

Furthermore, adding any work placement such as internship to their courses would strengthen their working ability and prepare them for their future careers. They will learn about the responsibilities and how to deal with difficult situations which they could face in practical life. They learn how to work with other people in a community.

Disadvantages in studying abroad could be that students may lose their focus from their ambition and get lost in other activities without supervision.

So in conclusion, I think advantages outweighs the disadvantages, they will help students to build foundation of their careers, strengthen their confidence and help them socialize.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad and work placements. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments. While you present a clear position, the ideas are somewhat underdeveloped. For instance, the point about 'losing focus' is mentioned but not fully explored or balanced against the benefits. To improve, you need to expand your supporting points with more detailed examples and ensure you meet the word count to allow for a more comprehensive discussion of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to transition between ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels a bit simplistic. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a strong topic sentence that directly relates to your main argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on common phrases like 'learn about' and 'difficult situations' repeatedly. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'knowledge will widened' (should be 'knowledge will be widened') and 'student learning in another country' (should be 'students studying abroad'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and collocations. For example, instead of 'strengthen their working ability', you could use 'enhance their professional competencies'. Expanding your range of vocabulary will help you express your ideas with more precision and sophistication.

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 affect clarity. Examples include 'universities including internships... should be added' (awkward phrasing), 'student`s personal' (incorrect apostrophe usage), and 'advantages outweighs' (subject-verb agreement error). While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are noticeable. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and consistent punctuation. Practicing more complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, while ensuring they are grammatically accurate, will help you achieve a higher score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.