Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-26

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)

In the modern era, students preferred to move to abroad for their higher studies, where the universities giving a specific period of time to complete the course and do placements which is a kind of practice and experience in their profession. In this essay we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of providing limited time period and placements to the undergraduate students.

On the one hand, the positive side of getting timetable gives a kind of idea to the student that how much time they have to finish their one unit so that they manage their all units of the courses with proper focus which also helps them to organize all assignments or practice before the deadline so decrease the stress level of end movement and shows their best perform in the exam. After that when they go for placements, they do not face problems on their first day because they already studied basic about their stream and on working placements, they get different experiences in their own profession life. For instance, in medical line every person has to do placements after the completion of their one unit which is of one year, which helps them to learn how to handle emergency. In aged care, all residents have different behaviors. When nurses go there for placements, they learn what kind of mood swings the residents have and how to calm them on their peak.

On the other hand, sometimes take it like a stress because they feel they have to do a lot of work in a given time period which at the end converts into anxiety.

In conclusion, I think it has more pros as compared to cons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt but lacks depth. While you identify the advantages of placements, the discussion of disadvantages is extremely brief and underdeveloped, consisting of only one sentence. The prompt asks for a balanced view on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, but your position is not fully explored or supported with sufficient detail. To reach a higher band, you need to expand on the negative aspects, such as the potential for academic disruption or financial strain, and ensure your position is clearly maintained throughout the essay. The introduction is also slightly off-topic as it focuses on 'time periods' for courses rather than the specific requirement of studying abroad or work placements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. You use basic cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'In conclusion', but the internal flow of ideas is often disjointed. For example, the transition between discussing time management and work placements is abrupt. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'sometimes take it like a stress', where the subject is missing. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is far too short to function as a proper conclusion, failing to summarize the main points effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for conveying basic meaning but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'placements' and 'units'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'shows their best perform' (should be 'perform their best') and 'end movement' (likely meaning 'the last minute'). The language is somewhat informal and lacks the academic tone expected in an IELTS Task 2 response. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated academic vocabulary and ensuring correct word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('universities giving' instead of 'universities give'), missing articles ('in medical line'), and awkward phrasing ('move to abroad'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some long, run-on sentences that lack necessary commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage.

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

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