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)

The undergraduate programs and courses in the universities should add a short time period of studying these courses abroad . Universities also add some internship programs that are studied abroad .

There are the massive advantages of this step if taken by the universities .

This increase the learning and growth ability of the students who get basic idea of their field in the country and then pursue their futher higher studies in the abroad universities . This is very beneficial for the students as their sense of responsibility escalates and they manages their expenses themselves .

Some key leverages are that student have to manages his tution fee and his living expenses . For this purpose a part time job is needed which covers all the expenses of the student effectively . Lifestyle of a pupil also become better and advancements come in the life of a student .

Their are also some cons of continuation of study in abroad . Finding a reasonable accomodation is very hard in the abroad . As this is the main spending of the student . Including dormantory , grocessiories and utilities are the main headache of an international student . Also student have to manage the tution fee of the university .

From my perspective studing in abroad is better then studying in your country . A student is young and manages his expenses easily . So i want to choose graduation from abroad .

In conclusion i want to say that it is very effective and advantageous to pursue studies from abroad . The chances of growth in job and business are maximum there.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad. However, the development is inconsistent. While you mention benefits like personal growth and financial responsibility, the disadvantages section is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. The argument is clear, but the ideas are not fully extended. For instance, the point about 'lifestyle advancements' is vague and needs more specific examples to be persuasive. To improve, ensure that each point is supported by a clear explanation or example, and maintain a more formal, academic tone throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'Some key leverages are that...' is an unnatural way to introduce a point. There are also issues with referencing; the transition between the benefits and the drawbacks is abrupt. While there is a logical progression, the lack of sophisticated linking words makes the flow feel disjointed. Improving the variety of transition signals (e.g., 'furthermore', 'conversely', 'consequently') would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'leverages' used to mean 'advantages', and 'dormantory' (spelling error) and 'grocessiories' (spelling error). You rely on basic vocabulary, and some collocations are non-standard, such as 'pursue their futher higher studies in the abroad universities'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more academic vocabulary and ensuring correct spelling and collocation usage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'This increase the learning', 'student have to manages'), article usage (e.g., 'in the abroad'), and punctuation errors. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly verb forms and the correct use of articles with nouns.

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

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