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 universities with undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or going for internship in other countries would be very good idea.

From my perspective, I think practical work has more impact on the persons experience and exposure.

I am strongly agreed that advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages, as students will get more exposure of things, Flights, responsibilities, how to manage everything by themselves, it has very positive effect on their grooming as well as their personality. Internship and studying abroad would be the very good idea for students who wants to experience different envoirments and want to explore different places.

It also will provide many opportunities to students for work and studying furture.

If they want to study abroad in future, these little courses can help them for that as well. It will have very positive effect on the students.

If we talk about disadvantages, some students may can not afford the expense of studying abroad or even they maybe cant pay for the flights, or they can not manage the expense even if they went there, because living abroad is not easy as well, you have to struggle alot for living there or surviving.

So it is not an easy task at all to move abroad for study and work, but yes if you get any sponser from the university or work place it might be helpfull.

In conclusion, I would say it is very good idea to move abroad, for university courses and for work because it will nourish you, and give you more experince.

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. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you mention 'grooming' and 'personality' as benefits, these points are not fully explored or supported with specific examples. The discussion of disadvantages is also somewhat superficial, focusing primarily on financial constraints without considering other potential drawbacks like cultural adjustment or academic disruption. To achieve a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations and concrete examples, ensuring that the arguments are balanced and fully developed rather than just listed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. You rely on basic transitions like 'From my perspective' and 'In conclusion', but the internal logical progression within paragraphs is weak. For instance, the transition between the benefits of studying abroad and the financial disadvantages is abrupt. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes repetitive. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect sentences and ideas more fluidly, and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that guides the reader through your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You use basic terms like 'very good idea' and 'positive effect' repeatedly. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'envoirments' (spelling) and 'sponser' (spelling). To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to international education and professional development. Avoid repeating simple adjectives and instead look for more descriptive alternatives that convey your meaning with greater nuance and sophistication.

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. Examples include 'I am strongly agreed' (incorrect passive voice), 'some students may can not afford' (incorrect modal usage), and 'living abroad is not easy as well' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate better control over complex sentence structures and reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of modal verbs.

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

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