Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-25

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)

Numerous university students think that their courses should include a duration of studying in a foreign country or getting any work experience. Well advantages of working abroad definitely take precedent over the disadvantages.

Firstly Working abroad can benefit in certain ways like it helps a student to become independent and get real world experience from world class opportunities by working for international or multi-national companies. Which can have significant impact on person's professional growth. Moving abroad can also allow to make internation connections and learn about diverse traditions and cultures of other communities. Also this helps in securing better jobs in our own country later. I have seen this in reality as my Uncle who moved back from USA to Pakistan with family as he was doctor there but he managed to get a well C-Suit job opportunity here in medical department pretty easily.

On the other hand working abroad can be expensive for some individuals because not every one get the chance to have good opportunity to manage the expenses, Students can struggle due to high cost of staying with less income to support their education and other need. Also some people tend to have less interest or lack of self believe which keeps their thoughts to stuck with the idea that living in foreign country is just difficult. With all that said still I think that studying or working in foreign country has benefits which outweigh its drawbacks.

Overall I think that getting education or employment opportunity abroad has more pros than its cons for the long run if we look carefully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The main ideas—professional growth, networking, and cultural awareness—are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example of the uncle is personal and anecdotal rather than a broader analysis of the topic. The counter-argument regarding financial constraints is mentioned but lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' of your arguments, ensuring that the connection between studying abroad and long-term career success is more thoroughly explored with more sophisticated reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'On the other hand', and 'Overall' to signal transitions. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For example, the sentence 'Which can have significant impact on person's professional growth' is a sentence fragment that disrupts the flow. Additionally, the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition between ideas feels slightly abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring all sentences are complete would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'multi-national companies', 'professional growth', and 'international connections'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'take precedent' (should be 'precedence'), 'well C-Suit job' (should be 'high-level C-suite position'), and 'lack of self believe' (should be 'lack of self-belief'). These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including missing articles ('as doctor there', 'in medical department'), punctuation issues, and awkward phrasing ('allows to make internation connections'). Some sentences are fragmented or lack proper subject-verb agreement. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic article usage, verb forms, and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and a complete predicate.

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

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