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)

As the curricular of every university keeps on changing, there has been an ongoing consideration for most whether to include study abroad program or placements. As being a university student and foreseeing what is required to achieve in the real world I strongly believe there are more advantages to this notion than one can presume.

As students are learners and do not hold any real-life as well as practical experience in there years spent in universities. They do not exactly get what struggles one will face in order to achieve the target as they are always under guidance or surveillance. Opting for placements during these years regardless of the timeline, which is as an intern, fulltime or part-time, would assist the pupil on what they are going to work and strive for. It gives a reality check that not everything goes by the book. For instance, to be a mechanical engineer one does not just qualify by being good at theory or the practicals done only in their institution, a certain level of experience is required to obtain a prominent career.

And as for studying abroad, the students can become socially and environmentally aware by witnessing different cultures along with the do's and don'ts. Furthermore, being abroad gives an advantage over networking, meeting different people give rise to new opportunity such as being appointed for a certain role or participating in events that were not set in the hometown so on.

On the other hand, the negative side would be that the individual needs to stay on feet majority of the time or balance a busy schedule of work and studies which can be stressful at times.

In conclusion, although there are more advantages in regard to the disadvantages, at the end of the day it highly depends on the individual on what can be suitable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by discussing both study abroad and work placements, and you clearly state your position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the need for practical experience and the benefits of networking. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on the disadvantages is quite brief and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph provides more detailed supporting evidence or examples to fully explore the implications of your arguments, rather than just stating them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore' and 'On the other hand' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas within paragraphs could be smoother. Some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'They do not exactly get what struggles one will face'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'curricular', 'surveillance', and 'networking'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'curricular of every university' (should be 'curriculum') and 'not everything goes by the book'. Additionally, the phrase 'stay on feet' is an idiom that is used incorrectly here. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that collocations are natural. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated, topic-specific terminology would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally affect the clarity of your message. For example, 'As being a university student' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'As a university student'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'in there years' (should be 'in their years'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring correct usage of articles and pronouns.

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

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