Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30

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)

The statement illustrates that undergraduate courses of all education institute should also provide a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. I agree with both things as these both are essential for our future.

Overall, I think studying abroad is a nice start to focus intensely on your studies and plan your future. On the other hand work placement is also important with studies to experience professional life.

On the one hand, the undergraduate courses for example medical courses, universities need to provide them in foreign countries because sometimes if we want to choose a subject it has a minor scope in our country. So, we have better option to choose that is other countries. In foreign countries, undergraduate courses are conducted then we gain many benefits from it such as we learn to speak different languages, learn about new things such as a different culture, we will become independent and start to manage our things on our own. We will understand the responsibilities we have. Additionally, if we remain in our country and choose another subject because the one we want to choose has no value in our country then it will ruin our future.

On the other hand, during studies all universities also need to provide students work placement because they did not gain practical experience, they will never understand their work and responsibilities. Radiology is a medical field we take it as an example. Large number of universities provide theories about this course and after graduation when students go to hospitals for jobs, they do not even know basic things about how to start machine. Because of it many students have to waste their time on training which lasts to two years.

So, if educational institute provide clinical placements to their students they will learn how to manage their time, they have responsibilities and before entering in professional life they already had experience of it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: studying abroad and work placements. The position is clear from the introduction, and the main body paragraphs provide relevant arguments for both. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the point about limited scope of subjects in one's home country is a strong argument, the explanation regarding work placements is slightly repetitive and relies on a single example (radiology) that could be more broadly contextualized. To reach a higher band, ensure that the arguments are more balanced and that the implications of the advantages are explored with greater depth and sophistication.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Additionally', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Because of it many students have to waste their time'. The flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their intended antecedents to improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic phrasing, such as 'nice start', 'gain many benefits', and 'do not even know basic things'. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'professional life', 'theories', and 'clinical placements', the overall lexical range is limited. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic collocations and less common vocabulary to express ideas with greater nuance and sophistication, rather than relying on repetitive, general-purpose language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'undergraduate courses of all education institute should' (pluralization error), 'if we want to choose a subject it has a minor scope' (punctuation/comma usage), and 'if educational institute provide' (subject-verb agreement). Additionally, some phrasing is awkward, such as 'which lasts to two years'. To improve, the student needs to focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and more accurate control over complex sentence structures.

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

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