Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11

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 higher educational institutes should include a time period for studying outside the country or doing a work placement in their undergraduate courses. In my opinion, this change is more advantageous and will help students to gain real world experience and to find more opportunities outside their courses. Firstly, this small change will modify the structure of the education system. This will give time to the students to learn new skills and gain knowledge by doing real world projects. In today's world, where we often see rapid growth in advancements of technology, this practice has become a must for students. For example, in Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission has made it compulsory for BS students to do at least one internship in summer vacations. If the students are given opportunities to study abroad, like in exchange programs, this will help them to work and learn under highly qualified teachers and open other gates of opportunities. Gaining professional experience and learning new concepts will definitely help the pupils to secure a better job. For instance, most companies take in their interns as full-time employees because they adapt themselves better to the environment and the nature of the work. Lastly, there are some disadvantages as well. Students may get distracted and start prioritizing job over education. Ultimately, some of them quit their studies to earn money. In conclusion, I agree that including this time period will benefit the students and has fewer disadvantages. This will change their lives and help them to grow in their desired fields.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of internships and exchange programs, and the inclusion of a specific example from Pakistan adds credibility. However, the development is somewhat limited; the disadvantages are mentioned only briefly in a single sentence, which prevents a more balanced or nuanced discussion. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the counter-arguments and provide a more thorough exploration of why the advantages are more significant, rather than just stating that they are.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'For example', and 'Lastly' to guide the reader. However, the transitions between sentences can feel a bit mechanical, and the paragraphing is slightly unbalanced, with the body paragraphs being quite short. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph contains a more developed central idea to improve the overall flow and logical structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'advancements', 'compulsory', and 'professional experience' correctly. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive and lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. For instance, phrases like 'small change' and 'open other gates of opportunities' are a bit simplistic or slightly unnatural. To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise collocations and academic vocabulary that demonstrates a broader range of expression, rather than relying on common, everyday phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and the meaning is generally clear throughout. There are some minor grammatical errors, such as 'give time to the students' (should be 'give students time') and 'prioritizing job over education' (should be 'prioritizing jobs over education'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on refining your use of articles and pluralization, and try to incorporate more varied complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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

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