Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-10
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)
As far as this topic is concerned, I would like to say that university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement,which has always been debatable and has now become more controversial with many people claiming that it is beneficial while others reject this notion. The substantial influence of this trend has sparked the controversy over the potential impact in the recent years. From my perspective, the former proposition appears to be more rational. This essay will further elaborate my views for favoring the positive or negative impact of this trend and thus will lead to a logical conclusion.
Analyzing the statement further, the primary reason behind this studying abroad can provide students with valuable experience and help them understand different cultures. Students can meet people from different backgrounds, improve their communication skills, and become more independent. Categorically discussing, it cannot be ignored that the main reason behind this is that especially in our country, it has far-reaching consequences.An engineering student can learn more effectively by working in a company and observing professional engineers. Therefore, work placements can improve students' skills and employment opportunities.Moving further, it is pertinent to mention that it is the basic duty of the government to provide a safe and stable society for the betterment of the public. It is imperative for the authorities concerned to look into the factor behind this issue and take a drastic action against the concerned persons.
To encapsulate, I would like to appeal to the learned figures to come forward, focus their gaze at this issue and launch a vigorous campaign to reform it across the society.
would like to appeal to the learned figures to come forward, focus their gaze at this issue and launch a vigorous campaign to reform it across the society.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt but fails to maintain a consistent focus. While you state your position early on, the development of ideas is weak. You mention benefits like cultural understanding and skill acquisition, but the argument lacks depth and specific examples. Furthermore, the second half of the essay shifts focus toward government responsibility and 'drastic action,' which is irrelevant to the prompt regarding university curriculum policy. This digression means the task is only partially addressed. To improve, ensure every sentence directly supports your stance on whether the advantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements outweigh the disadvantages.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hampered by the shift in topic. You use some cohesive devices like 'Therefore' and 'To encapsulate,' but the transitions between ideas are often mechanical or abrupt. The final paragraph is repetitive, as the last two sentences are identical, which disrupts the flow and coherence of the conclusion. To reach a higher band, focus on creating a clearer link between your main arguments and ensure that each paragraph builds logically upon the previous one without introducing unrelated concepts.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using phrases like 'far-reaching consequences' and 'substantial influence.' However, some word choices are slightly unnatural or misused, such as 'categorical discussing' or 'reform it across the society.' There is also a tendency to use overly formal or vague filler phrases like 'learned figures' and 'focus their gaze,' which do not contribute to the clarity of your argument. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive, flowery language will help improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent errors in punctuation and grammar, such as the missing space after the comma in the first paragraph and the run-on structure in the second. Some sentences are grammatically awkward, such as 'the primary reason behind this studying abroad can provide students...' which lacks a clear subject-verb agreement. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic sentence construction and punctuation accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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