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)

First and foremost , undergraduate students going abroad for further studying has been very usual . As far as work placement is concerned a majority of student tries to do work placements . My perspective about this concept is mostly positive but some disadvantages do occur because of these two activities . Though I think advantages are more related to their professional life whereas disadvantages are more on thier personal or social life.

So , lets start with some of the advantages of studying abroad . Studying out of comfort zone makes student hardworking , persistent and well rounded . Further in life these qualities will help a student in their professional life .A very prominant example of this is when a student goes abroad , he has no family there . And on top he has to face new environment where he have to settle . So , this develops an ability of being a student that when he have to change his workplace he can get easily change and adopt that new place. As he go away from his family and spend less time with them so, there might get some personal issues like lack of understading between other family members and the student.

Furthermore , doing work placement has mostly positve effects on student life and also career . First of all , student gets to know about what he has to do practically after completing his study . The most significant advantage is that by having a work placement during his study would make him easy to land a job after his graduation . As employing company demands experience in specific field at first.

Conclusively , I would state that both these two techniques are really productive for a student career . As both these two activities give the most important thing experience to students that is the most valuable thing nowadays.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both studying abroad and work placements. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that studying abroad builds character and work placements improve employability, the arguments lack depth and specific, well-integrated examples. The conclusion is brief and repeats points already made rather than synthesizing them. To improve, ensure each body paragraph provides a clear, extended explanation of how the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, rather than just listing the benefits. The position is clear, but the overall development is basic and would benefit from more sophisticated reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices like 'First and foremost', 'Furthermore', and 'Conclusively' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., 'both these two techniques'). The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, but the lack of varied linking words makes the text feel a bit repetitive. Improving the variety of transition signals and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some relevant terms such as 'undergraduate', 'professional life', and 'employability'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward word choices or phrasing, such as 'has been very usual' instead of 'has become common' and 'get easily change' instead of 'adapt easily'. There is little evidence of less common or idiomatic vocabulary. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to express your points with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'majority of student tries', 'he have to settle') and article usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While you attempt complex sentences, they are often marred by these persistent errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and proofreading for small mechanical errors. Increasing the variety of complex structures, such as using conditional sentences or passive voice, would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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.