Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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)

There is a considerable debate about including a period of time spent abroad or doing a work placement for all university undergraduate courses. Students can learn new things and get exposure to the latest technology and methods if they spend time studying abroad or doing work placement, so I think there are more advantages than disadvantages.

When all undergraduate courses make studying in abroad mandatory students get a chance to learn new techniques. They get to see how students in other country study, and learn new things. Learning methods of underdeveloped and developed country may not be same. So a students from different countries get a chance to share their experience, which might help and benefit the country too. Students also learn new culture, get a chance to know much about abroad societies. For example, when a student from Nepal go to study in USA, he will learn a lots of things like work life balance, lectures from renowned scientists or lecturers.

Similarly, when pupils do a work placement, they learn more than theory subjects. They learn about the world market trend, how work culture works. These things make them ready for the market. Once they finish college they would already be fit for the job they would have experience of the job. Saying that some students might not be comfortable with this methods as they might not afford to study abroad, while some might feel difficulties finding placements.

In conclusion, undergraduates can gain a lots of experience which helps in the future carrier so, I believe advantages of including a period of time spent studying or doing work placement  in all university undergraduate courses outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of making study abroad or work placements mandatory for undergraduates, and clearly states an overall position that advantages outweigh disadvantages. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as a student from Nepal studying in the USA gaining exposure to work-life balance and lectures from renowned scientists. However, some ideas are a bit repetitive or under-developed, such as the brief mention of affordability and difficulty in finding placements near the end. Overall, the content is sufficient for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing specific aspects, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas about studying abroad, work placements, and disadvantages. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or lacking in smooth transitions, as seen with phrases like 'Similarly' and 'Saying that'. Referencing is occasionally slightly unclear, such as pronoun shifts ('a students from different countries', 'when a student... he'). Overall, the logical progression is adequate for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrases such as 'work placement', 'underdeveloped and developed country', and 'world market trend'. There are, however, noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'studying in abroad', 'theory subjects', and 'future carrier' (instead of career). Spelling and word-choice errors do not impede overall communication, placing this response solidly in the Band 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer attempts various complex structures, such as conditional and reason-based clauses ('When all undergraduate courses make studying in abroad mandatory students get a chance...'). There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with missing articles ('a students', 'when student... go'), incorrect prepositions ('studying in abroad'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('a students... get', 'methods... is'). Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication, allowing the essay to achieve a Band 6.0.

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