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)

All university should include a period for students to spent time studying in foreign countries or doing a internship. I strongly believe that advantages of this statement will outweigh the disadvantages.

To begin with, universities should offer the facility to study abroad for undergraduate students, because they can receive knowledge of foreign rules and regulations. Which will create a positive impact whenever you are applying for multinational companies. For instance, individuals having a knowledge of foreign laws in your specific field will increase your chances of securing a job in multi national companies. In addition, work placement is essential in modern times because every organization wants an experienced individual rather than a fresher. While doing internships you can gain relevant experience which will help you in obtaining jobs in multiple organizations. For example, if the candidate has done internships during the period of their education, so he could have better chances for obtaining job.

Additionally, it has few drawbacks, such as the student cannot properly concentrate on studies after doing internship or studying abroad. This could be time consuming and put students under pressure. For example, if you are studying and along with that pursuing internship will lead to lack of concentration on their studies.

In conclusion, university should offer the facilities such as study abroad for certain period of time or obtain a work placement, this could benefit the students after graduation while obtaining job in the companies. I strongly believe that advantage of this would outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the benefits of international experience and internships, the arguments remain quite general. For instance, the claim that students will learn 'foreign rules and regulations' is vague and not fully explained in the context of an undergraduate degree. The counter-argument regarding drawbacks is also brief and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, well-developed examples and ensure that the link between your arguments and the main question is more robustly established.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally imprecise (e.g., 'Which will create a positive impact' starts a sentence fragment). The transition between the advantages and the drawbacks is functional but could be smoother. Overall, the information is arranged coherently, but the range of cohesive devices is limited, and some connections feel slightly repetitive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'multinational companies', 'internship', and 'work placement'. However, the range is somewhat restricted, and there are instances of awkward phrasing or word choice, such as 'receive knowledge of foreign rules' or 'every organization wants an experienced individual rather than a fresher'. The repetition of basic words like 'job' and 'students' limits the sophistication of the writing. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations related to academic and professional development.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt to use complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('All university should include', 'it has few drawbacks') and incorrect article usage. There are also punctuation errors and sentence fragments, such as starting a sentence with 'Which will create...'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your main points, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall fluency. Increasing your control over complex structures and proofreading for basic agreement errors would significantly improve your score.

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

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