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)

A work placement or some amount of time studying in a foreign country should be mandatory for all university undergraduate courses. According to my perspective, the advantages of this would not outweigh the disadvantages.

Firstly, making studying in a foreign country or doing a work placement mandatory for all the undergraduate courses will increase the fees of the courses which will significantly increase the financial burden on the student. A significant number of people take education loans to finish their undergraduate degree and increasing the fees of that degree because of the expense of traveling and studying in a foreign country and the cost of living will consequently put the students under more mental stress. According to a recent study in the US, 40 percent of the students currently enrolled in universities have taken a education loan.

Furthermore, the second disadvantage of making these two things essential is the academic delay as studying abroad or work placement will directly increase the time required to finish a degree. This will result in students focus being diverted from the main core studies. Most of the undergraduate courses in the universities are coursework and students have to complete their specified credit hours in order to get their degree so this will hugely impact the duration of the degree.

In conclusion, the disadvantages including rise of the fees for the coursework and an increase in the time required to finish a degree outweigh the advantages of doing a work placement or a fraction of time spent studying in a foreign country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you provide two distinct disadvantages—financial burden and academic delay—the arguments are relatively brief and lack depth. For instance, you could have explored how these requirements might benefit students in terms of employability to provide a more balanced view before refuting it. The task asks for reasons and examples; while you mention a study in the US, the second point regarding academic delay remains theoretical and could be strengthened with a concrete example or a more nuanced explanation of how credit systems function in practice.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use transition signals such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. The cohesion within paragraphs is generally clear, but the referencing could be more sophisticated. For example, in the second paragraph, the transition between the concept of 'academic delay' and 'coursework' is a bit abrupt. Improving the use of cohesive devices to link sentences more fluidly would help elevate the score. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'mandatory', 'financial burden', and 'diverted'. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'doing a work placement' and 'studying in a foreign country' are repeated frequently throughout the text. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more synonyms or paraphrasing (e.g., 'international academic exposure' or 'professional internships'). There are no significant spelling errors, and the vocabulary used is accurate, but it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'a education loan' (should be 'an') and 'students focus being diverted' (should be 'students' focus'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are noticeable. You have attempted some complex sentences, but the control is not entirely consistent. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct article usage. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence structures are clear, which ensures that the reader can follow your arguments without difficulty.

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.