Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-03

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)

Universities that offer undergraduate courses should reschedule the study plan for undergraduates and allow them to spend one or two semesters abroad, or doing a work placement to complete their degree. I believe it would be more beneficial for learners rather than its drawbacks.

Students go outof country for studies allow them to gain more broader knowledge related to their fields because every education system has teaching limitations but this idea can help undergraduates to explore more. However, when a student learns in diversity of surroundings, it helps to boost his thinking process. For instance, if a student completing his education locally he may feel hesitated to communicate with international personalities while working and it can stop him to grow in professional life.

A work placement during studies open many doors for career success of undergraduates since they start working in the period of degree, it means he is gaining work experience. However, practical work allow learners to understand the things by completed them by hand rather than just studying, and in return they gain strong concepts to deal with problems.

Admittedly, this concept can have negative effect on students because going abroad can increase their study budget and find a word placement earlier withour experience can be stressful for them. Fuethermore, by including the such rules for undergraduate courses may extend the period of degree completion for those who are unable to fulfil these requirements.

To sum up, upgraded high level courses would be benefical for undergraduate students because learner will find the chance to expand their knowlege in a universal environment and clearer concepts of problem solving but the degree budget and timeline many be challenging for students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas regarding knowledge expansion and professional development are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'international personalities' is a bit vague, and the discussion on the disadvantages could be more deeply explored beyond just budget and time. While the position is clear throughout, the supporting arguments would benefit from more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the repetitive use of 'However' to start sentences. Referencing is occasionally unclear, for example, 'by including the such rules' is grammatically disjointed and hinders the flow. While the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, the transition between sentences could be smoother and more varied to improve the overall coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'international personalities' instead of 'international professionals' or 'find a word placement' instead of 'secure a work placement'. Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'understand the things by completed them by hand'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler, repetitive terms rather than more precise academic language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'Students go outof country for studies allow them' (subject-verb agreement/sentence structure) and 'by including the such rules'. There are also issues with articles and prepositions, such as 'in diversity of surroundings' and 'find a word placement'. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are persistent enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors would be beneficial.

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

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