Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-29

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 contemporary era, it is necessary to have academic knowledge and technical knowledge. On that note, every single university bachelor's courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. Even though this trend has a few demerits, the merits are far more.

there are numerous advantages of this trend. To begin with, give some time to universities student to study abroad may increase there knowledge and they can also know the different technologies. Secondly, bachelors students get chance to studying abroad they can know the other culture and also they can learn how to survive alone in different country without family due to this they become confident and enhance their life. For example, if student live alone in abroad then can enhance their management skills like how to manage work and house-hold chores.

Moreover, giving them work placement during undergraduate course help them how to work professionally which help them how to do best in their up coming jobs. Furthermore, providing internship and work placement during bachelor courses help them how to crack the job interview and how to perform well during hectic work day. For instance, if students have job or internship experience during undergraduate course which is beneficial for them because they get their first job without any difficulty. Therefore, this are the benefits of providing oppartunity like studying abroad or work placement to undergraduate students.

In conclusion, even though providing too much period of time on studying abroad or doing work placement which lead to less dedication on formal education, I still believe that this trend have many benefits like know other countries culture , technologies, get good experience before full time job.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. The position is clear throughout, and the main ideas—such as personal growth, cultural awareness, and professional preparation—are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the discussion on 'management skills' and 'professional work' is quite general. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, nuanced examples or elaborate further on the implications of these experiences. The conclusion acknowledges the counter-argument, which is good, but the overall development remains at a basic level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Secondly', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' to link your points. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is interrupted by grammatical errors or awkward phrasing, such as 'due to this they become confident'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.

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 language (e.g., 'know', 'get', 'help'). There are also some spelling errors ('oppartunity') and awkward collocations ('give some time to universities student'). While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'undergraduate', 'internship', and 'professional', the overall lexical range is limited. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and collocations, and ensure that your word choices are accurate and appropriate for an academic context.

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 impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('this are the benefits', 'this trend have'), missing articles, and incorrect word forms ('bachelors students get chance to studying'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic structures prevents a higher score. You should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentence constructions are grammatically sound.

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

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