Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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)

Many people believe that the universities should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing work placement. This will help students to learn different languages and cultures.

One major advantage of studying abroad or completing a work placement is that the students can gain practical knowledge about their fields. Mostly, the theoratical knowledge is given to the students in Pakistani universities. Students do not have too much facilities in context of research. In addition, students get international exposure. They meet with different people and try to understand their cultures. When they work in international market , their confidence is also boosted. They do their practical work without any hesitation. They polish their research skills by doing work in international industries.

Although studying abroad has more advantages, but there are some disadvantages as well. One major disadvantage is that studying abroad can be expensive for few students because they may belong to low income families. They may not afford their living expenses. Some students may also face difficulties while finding the work placement.

Despite these drawbacks, studying abroad have more benefits so that universities should reduce the financial burden by giving the scholorships to students. The university officials should take steps regarding to this issue.The students who are not financially strong, universities should give them work placements in their own country.

In conclusion, studying abroad or completing a work placement provides valuable practical skills and international experience. Therefore, i believe that the advantages of this policy outweigh its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses. A clear position is maintained throughout, concluding that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are extended with relevant points, such as gaining practical knowledge, international exposure, and financial challenges for low-income students. However, some arguments tend to localise the discussion rather than keeping it universally focused (e.g., specific references to Pakistani universities), and explanations could be more thoroughly developed. Nevertheless, the main requirements of the prompt are well-covered, earning a solid band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response is arranged coherently with a logical progression of ideas from introduction to advantages, disadvantages, solutions, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct theme. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as "One major advantage", "In addition", "Although", and "In conclusion". However, some referencing and cohesive links feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, and punctuation around transitional phrases like "Although studying abroad has more advantages, but there are some disadvantages as well" shows minor flaws in transitional construction. Overall, the structural flow is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as "practical knowledge", "international exposure", and "financial burden". However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice inaccuracies, such as "theoratical" instead of "theoretical", "schorships" instead of "scholarships", and awkward phrasing like "too much facilities in context of research". Collocations are occasionally unnatural, such as "finding the work placement" instead of "finding a work placement". While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect a Band 6 level where vocabulary control shows some inconsistencies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and conditional-like structures, such as "When they work in international market, their confidence is also boosted." There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including article omissions (e.g., "in international market", "giving the scholorships"), subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., "studying abroad have more benefits"), and incorrect prepositional usage ("steps regarding to this issue"). Punctuation errors are also present, such as lowercase "i" and missing spaces after periods. These errors occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 7, but they rarely impede overall communication.

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

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