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)
Universities provide various undergraduate course followed by placement and some universities provide a period of time spent studying abroad. However, should it include for all the universities is what we are going to dicuss about in this essay.
On the one hand, I strongly believe that universities with undergratuate courses should provide a period of time studying abroad or doing a work placement. There are various advantages that includes gain more knowledge outside country and know what is happening around the world. Staying in our own country with our family can make pamperd however if we spent time outside the country we may experience different cultures, improve communication skills and learn better about the course. Some universities may not provide facilities or they are not advanced in our country theey can help students spend some time studying abroad so that in future they can help country develop.
On the other hand, instiution that provide oppourtunities studying abroad or work placements can be more expensive than studying or working here. The visa process, living expenses, transportation and many more can be a bit overwheming. If the course provides better requirements in our country we can continue work and study in their own universities.
In conclusion, I believe that studying or working abroad can help us focus more on our career and improve our communication skills and can have a better standard of living. They can also experience different culture, languages and gain knowledge about the what is happening around the world. Whereas, the course stundent is studying provides better oppurtunities in our own country they can study and work rather than spending more money going to another country.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of making study abroad or work placements compulsory for university undergraduates. A clear position is presented throughout the essay, starting with the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas tends to be somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the discussion on advantages mentions gaining knowledge and experiencing different cultures, but these points are under-developed and lack specific, concrete examples. Phrases like 'gain more knowledge outside country' are stated rather than fully elaborated. Nevertheless, the main task requirements are met, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor where all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, though some are under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure featuring an introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. Transitional markers such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' are employed to guide the reader through the argumentation. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical, particularly in referencing and transitional links. For example, the phrase 'The course stundent is studying provides better oppurtunities' lacks clear grammatical connection to the preceding clause. Additionally, referencing is occasionally ambiguous, as seen in the pronoun 'They can also experience different culture' where the antecedent is slightly blurred. Paragraphing is used appropriately, placing the response firmly at Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'overwhelming', 'standard of living', and 'work placement'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'undergratuate', 'dicuss', 'pamperd', 'instiution', 'oppourtunities', and 'stundent'. Furthermore, awkward collocations like 'gain knowledge about the what is happening' detract from precision. While these errors do not severely impede communication because the overall meaning remains clear, the frequency of lexical and spelling slips prevents the response from achieving a higher band, placing it securely at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures like 'if we spent time outside the country we may experience...' and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'should it include for all the universities is what we are going to dicuss about', 'advantages that includes gain more knowledge', and 'studying in their own universities'. Additionally, missing articles (e.g., 'spend some time studying abroad so that in future') are common. Although the meaning can usually be discerned despite these errors, the high frequency of inaccurate complex structures limits the score to Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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