Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-04

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)

All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time to studying in abroad or doing a work placement. This act is very beneficial for the students. There are many positive aspects like practical experience, improvement of English and communication, understanding different cultures and many more. In this essay we will discuss about the positive and negative ways and my opinion also.

On the first hand, containing a time period to study in abroad is to much strength for the students. Students can improve their English and communication skills by traveling to abroad. Students can be able to learn the language of the country in which they will move. Moreover, students can gain knowledge about the different cultures in various countries, because every country has its own traditions. So, in which country student will move, he/she would be able to get information of customs. Furthermore, if a course provide the facility of work placement, that has also upsides for students. By work or internships a student can get practical skills.

In addition, there are many disadvantages for the students. Firstly, studying in abroad contains high expenses. These expenses can not afford by a person or student belonged to a middle class family. Many students can't live away from their family. Additionally, many students prefer the academic and work placement is not useful in their study.

In conclusion, in my opinion all universities should includes a course that include a time period to study in abroad. So, those students who have the desire to study in abroad they would be able to get the benefit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention benefits like 'practical experience' and 'cultural understanding,' these points are not fully extended with specific examples or deeper analysis. The position is clear, but the conclusion contradicts the earlier discussion by suggesting the program should be optional ('those students who have the desire'), which weakens the consistency of your argument regarding the mandatory nature of the proposal. To improve, ensure your supporting points are more thoroughly explained and your conclusion aligns with your stated position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the first hand,' 'Moreover,' and 'In addition' to transition between ideas. However, some of these are used incorrectly or sound unnatural, such as 'On the first hand' (which should be 'On the one hand') and 'containing a time period' to start a paragraph. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the link between the body arguments and the conclusion is slightly disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on simple phrasing, such as 'many positive aspects' and 'many disadvantages.' There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'containing a time period' instead of 'incorporating a period' and 'to much strength' which is unclear. The repetition of 'study in abroad' (which is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'study abroad') indicates a limited range of vocabulary. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more academic synonyms for common words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include incorrect preposition usage ('study in abroad'), subject-verb agreement ('all universities should includes'), and awkward phrasing ('These expenses can not afford by a person'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. You should focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly the correct use of articles, prepositions, and verb forms, before attempting more complex structures.

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

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