Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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 individuals think that students should spent a period of time studying in foreign countries or doing job placement in their bacheolars courses. There are many merits to this system , one of them is that students gain valuable experience while studying and gain new connections. The disadvantages are, that studying abroad is sometimes not affordable and it may be hard to adapt to the new structure.

When moving abroad for education purposes , many scholars are unable to afford the money. This may include the travelling cost when they go to countries which are far. If students move to a more developed country then the expenses significantly increase which are sometimes hard to bear. For example students moving for exchange program from india to america generally spend more money on foods and basic items. The second demerit is that , the quality of education varies a lot as we move to different states. This is due to different educations systems , because of which many people find it hard to adjust.

Despite this, I think there are many positive factors. The students gain many valuable lessons and new experiences when moving abroad. Especially when working in an industry for a specific period , they develop valuable skills in their fields. They also make new friends when moving to a different place and know their culture , plus additionally they can get a chance to explore the place. For example many scholars who move to different country also gain a chance to travel to a new place and visit new places.

In Conclusion , there are many people who don't think studying abroad is beneficial as as it includes additional costs and expenses to bear along with the differing education system. I believe this as a beneficial as students gain new experience and skiils , and know the different cultures .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and presents a clear position. The main ideas are relevant, such as financial costs and adjustment issues on the negative side, and skill development and cultural exposure on the positive side. However, the ideas lack full extension and deep support. For example, the point about students from India moving to America is introduced as an example but is not deeply elaborated to show the exact scale or impact. There is also a slight tendency to over-generalise. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing specific arguments, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as financial and educational drawbacks in paragraph two, and benefits in paragraph three. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes faulty or mechanical, with issues such as missing articles and awkward punctuation before commas. Referencing is generally clear, but logical progression between sentences could be smoother, particularly in the conclusion where repetition occurs ('I believe this as a beneficial as students...'). These features place the response firmly in Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'bacheolars', 'exchange program', and 'industry'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('spent' instead of 'spend', 'bacheolars', 'travelling', 'foods', 'skiils') and occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'doing job placement' instead of 'undertaking a work placement'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.0, making Band 6.0 an accurate reflection of the student's performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'When moving abroad for education purposes, many scholars are unable to afford the money.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, including incorrect verb forms ('think that students should spent'), missing prepositions, and awkward comma placement. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout, and they rarely impede communication. The control of grammar aligns well with the descriptors for Band 6.0.

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