Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12

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)

Some people believe that all university undergraduate students should take an extra course, such as studying abroad or doing a work placement. I completely agree with this view because most of the students suffer from a job crisis after graduation, and I believe the advantages of these courses would outweigh their disadvantages.

Students may find an effective destination after the honours course if they have some job experience or studying abroad related course. Although many students have good academic results, they cant able to find a reliable job. One reason for this is a lack of experience in subject-related positions. Moreover, if universities arrange an extra course for an apprenticeship, it will create an effective way to succeed in the job market. It will be a significant initiative for students who struggle after their graduation. In my opinion, universities are bound to spend time on these two courses because it is their responsibility to train the trainee in an office environment rather than just in the classes.

Many students may need an extra certificate for a language proficiency examination who wants to study in a foreign country. However, universities should provide these basic things for their students so that they can migrate easily for their higher studies abroad. Otherwise, it may problemetic to them to spend a lot of time on a proficiency course. So, these will be effective measures to expand the fresh graduates' job prospects.

However, there are some disadvantages, including the semester fee and time. It may happen that HR needs an experienced employee rather than good results. Consequently, they might need an experience letter after spending a training session at the university.

In conclusion, including a period of time spent studying in a foreign country or a job placement will be an effective measure for universities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether the advantages of studying abroad or doing work placements outweigh the disadvantages. You take a clear position agreeing with the proposition, and your main ideas are relevant to the topic. However, some arguments are underdeveloped or lack depth, such as the brief mention of disadvantages towards the end of the essay. The points concerning employment rates and university responsibilities are understandable, but they could be extended and supported with more specific examples rather than generalisations. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Moreover', and 'However' to link ideas. Paragraphing is present, though the body paragraphs could be structured more logically around distinct main points. For instance, the transition between discussing job experience and language proficiency tests feels a bit abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'So, these will be effective measures'. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, placing this criterion at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'apprenticeship', 'job prospects', and 'proficiency examination'. However, there are notable word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'they cant able to find', 'job crisis', and 'it may problemetic to them'. Spelling and word-form errors are present, though they do not seriously impede overall communication. The vocabulary control is somewhat limited and fits the Band 6.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some attempt at subordination and relative clauses. There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'most of the students suffer from a job crisis' and 'who wants to study in a foreign country' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation and sentence structures occasionally falter, leading to awkward phrasing. While these errors do not impede understanding, they occur with enough frequency to restrict the score to Band 6.0.

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