Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16
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)
In the modern era, learners must be have right to getting employment experience or knowledge from abroad during undergraduate subjects. It is wiedly believed that this issue has been significantly risen in all develope societies. There are some benefits as well as some drawbacks. This essay will discuss both positive and negative side.
One the one hand, due to this, the university going students are gain numerous benefits. The major positive impact is that, they enhance their communication skill as well as improvement in knowledge. For instance, student explors distinct customes, rituals and descipline through spending time at abroad. In addition, Because of this free time period, they avail a substantail amount of opportunities and get experience from different departments, which help them for better future work options and can make better lifestyle.
On the other hand, number of negative points also occur due to this. The main one is that, due to unwealthy learner faces financial issues because many families do not afford this, that is why these pupils just waste their time in other activities. Such as, bad friendship companies, plays and other unsignificant stuffs. Furthermore, in today's competition world, the students will not acheive their degree on time, they will be left behind from their age group of youngsters. This will lead challenges for getting jobs. And they also realize lack of confidence in their behaviour.
In conclusion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in context of this subject. This course puts number of positive impact on students future, they avail significant opportunites and skills. Great impact on country economy and reduce detrimental impact.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and presents a clear position in the conclusion stating that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are introduced and supported, such as mentioning enhanced communication skills and financial challenges faced by some students. However, some of the ideas remain somewhat under-developed and general, falling short of the fully extended arguments expected at higher bands. For instance, the discussion of the negative points leans on vague references to bad friendship companies. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of Task Achievement and is consistent with a Band 5.5 to 6.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into a clear four-paragraph structure, including an introduction, two body paragraphs representing each side of the argument, and a conclusion. Logical organisation is attempted through transitional phrases such as 'One the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. There are noticeable errors in referencing and connective usage, such as 'due to this, the university going students are gain numerous benefits' and 'Such as, bad friendship companies, plays and other unsignificant stuffs.' Paragraphing is used, but the overall progression is sometimes disrupted by awkward phrasing and abrupt shifts between sentences. This performance aligns with the Band 5.5 descriptors.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting words like 'develope societies', 'substantail', and 'detrimental'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors that impede clarity at times, such as 'wiedly believed' (widely), 'explors' (explores), 'descipline' (discipline), 'substantail' (substantial), and 'unsignificant' (insignificant). Word choice and collocation are often unnatural, as seen in 'unwealthy learner' or 'bad friendship companies'. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic points, the frequency of errors restricts the score to Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is weak throughout. There are frequent and systematic errors in verb forms, tense usage, and sentence structure. Examples include 'learners must be have right to getting employment experience', 'the university going students are gain', and 'due to unwealthy learner faces financial issues'. Punctuation and article usage are also unreliable, with sentences often fragmenting or lacking proper agreement. Because these errors occur with high frequency and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, the grammar profile fits the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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