Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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 this contemporary era, universities are offering myriad of courses for the postgraduate and for undergraduates. It is significant for the students to work placements to gain practical knowledge to perform well in the course. their ought to include period for studying in foreign countries and gives them placement. the trend not only carries plethora of pros but also carries few cons.

Commencing with the most salient reason, why students needs work placement period and studying abroad. initially, the universities should offer undergraduate courses which must include time for the practical work which assists students to gain hand one experience while studying. consequently it saves the immense time of students in the future. however, when they started gaining practical skills they can easily get the high paid salaries because they have practical experience. Additionally, the universities must provide seperate period in which the experts told about the oppurtunities that they will acquire after completing course with practical skills in abroad, moreover there is high demand for people who have genuine qualification and proper practical knowledge of their particular course. hence, it will increases their job chances and can secure their future with good carrier option and get the deserved job according to their performance.

Another worth considering the drawbacks related to this tend,

Sometimes the students thinks that their is no value of practical or work placement is not significant for them and they do not attend the period. For instance, in India, the recent study found that 90 percent of students are not attending their work placement period in which experts guide you, they think that it is meaning less and wastage of time is the another reason. Consequently, studying abroad is complex as the undergraduate believe and it is not affordable by everyone as it needs lot of work to be done and complete legal formalities.

in conclusion, their is several benefits when their is period of work placement by which students can learn about the placements and gain hand on experience. on the other side, some undergraduate thinks the period of work placement and studying abroad is worthless.

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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention practical experience and job prospects, the arguments lack depth and specific, logical elaboration. The conclusion is repetitive and does not clearly state your final position on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-supported idea that directly answers the 'outweigh' aspect of the prompt. Avoid generalizations and focus on providing a more balanced and analytical perspective.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. You use some cohesive devices like 'consequently' and 'additionally', but they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a way that disrupts the logical progression of the argument. For instance, the transition into the second paragraph is abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'the trend not only carries plethora of pros', where the reference to the specific trend is slightly vague. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence will significantly enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'hand one experience' (should be 'hands-on'), 'good carrier option' (should be 'career'), and 'myriad of courses' (should be 'a myriad of'). You attempt to use some academic vocabulary like 'salient' and 'plethora', but these are sometimes used incorrectly or in unnatural contexts. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations accurately and expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary related to education and employment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, particularly with subject-verb agreement, article usage, and sentence structure. Examples include 'their ought to include' (should be 'there ought to be'), 'students needs' (should be 'students need'), and 'the undergraduate believe' (should be 'undergraduates believe'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and missing commas. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often marred by these errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that articles are used correctly before nouns.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.