Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-07
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)
I completely agree with this stance that there are many advantages of doing work, while during study of the university undergraduate courses. This has many positive benefits as it will enhance many skills. It will give you the more exposure and you also understand how to work with a team.
In my opinion, it has many benefits, it will enhance your interpersonal skills that is very crucial for any job. This will also boost your personality and you understand how to work in a group and team with different ages of people, that are belong to different culture, background, and diversity. There is an equality of every age and no one is superior because of his color, age and gender, and everyone is treated same.
On the other hand, it teaches you how to manage your monthly expense. Spent money wisely because you have to pay your different bills, While they were working on any shop they know how to deal customers, arrange products according to the order, meet customers in a good manner, and help them if they need any kind of assistance.
However; there are not many drawbacks but some students waste their time on useless things and they also don't study. Then they face many difficulties in their studies and as well as their work placement.
At the end, there are many benefits of doing different jobs while study in abroad. It enhance many capabilities in you and you also manage you and your work lonely. Furthermore, it adds value in your life and you understand dealing with different age people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or work placements. However, the development is somewhat superficial. While you mention interpersonal skills and financial management, the ideas are not fully extended with specific examples or logical depth. The position is clear, but the argument lacks the necessary academic rigor expected for this task. To improve, you should focus on providing more detailed explanations for your points rather than listing them. The conclusion is repetitive and does not add new insight or summarize the argument effectively.
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, such as the awkward transition 'However; there are not many drawbacks' or 'At the end'. Some sentences lack logical flow, making the progression of ideas feel disjointed. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the connection between sentences within paragraphs needs to be smoother. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help create a more cohesive argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band score. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing like 'many benefits' and 'many advantages'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'manage you and your work lonely' and 'while study in abroad'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and collocations that are appropriate for an academic context, while ensuring words are used in their correct grammatical form.
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 ('that are belong to'), incorrect verb tenses ('While they were working'), and awkward sentence construction ('I completely agree with this stance that there are many advantages of doing work, while during study of the university undergraduate courses'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the misuse of semicolons. You need to focus on mastering basic sentence structure and reducing errors in tense and word order.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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