Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-05

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)

It is thinkable that practical knowledge is more important than theoretical knowledge. It is true that all university undergraduate courses should be include a period of time spent studying foreign or doing work placement. This essay shall discuss both advantages and disadvantages in the following paragraph.

To commence with advantages, it is also true that pros outweigh the cons. Firstly, it helps for personal growth of the student, for instance, this type of opportunities can assist to put more effort in their work; through personal development rate increased; increase brain function like creative thinking; enhancement of knowledge and from different part of world. Through practical knowledge they can explore real world experience and enhanced total experience in particular work so they can apply their theoretical knowledge in practical work. Moreover person's ability boost and enhance global demand of study as well as knowledge. It is lead to give high salary package and technology transfer to one nation to another nation. Furthermore build networking helps to get better job and business option for the student. Student can easily meet new people and make network with them.

There are little bit drawbacks of this point. It may be more expensive to government or the privet university or poor people can not afford this without government support, it is impossible to apply this theory without any sponsor or support. In addition, some time hard to stay comfortable in different nature of workplace or nature.

To put it in nutshell, i conclude, this type of approach is beneficial for student and government should support this theory It will also beneficial to our nation as well as other nation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. While the advantages are listed, they are presented as a series of fragmented points rather than fully extended arguments. For example, the mention of 'technology transfer' is underdeveloped and lacks a clear connection to the undergraduate experience. The position is clear, but the supporting evidence is often vague or repetitive. To improve, you should focus on providing one or two well-explained examples per paragraph rather than listing many points superficially.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently interrupted by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. While cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are used, they often feel forced or do not accurately reflect the relationship between ideas. For instance, the transition 'To commence with advantages, it is also true that pros outweigh the cons' is redundant. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the phrase 'this type of approach' in the conclusion, which lacks a strong preceding anchor. Improving the use of linking words to create smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choices and non-standard collocations, such as 'personal development rate increased' and 'nature of workplace or nature'. The repetition of basic terms like 'knowledge', 'student', and 'work' limits the lexical range. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and ensure that words are used in their correct context. For example, instead of 'boost', consider 'enhance' or 'augment' in specific academic contexts.

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., 'It is lead to give'), article usage (e.g., 'to government'), and incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'should be include'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article placement would be a significant step forward.

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