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)
It is increasingly argued that all university undergraduate courses should allocate a portion of time for students to spend studying abroad or doing work. Though this approach has some disadvantages, I believe its advantages outweigh the drawbacks.
One of the advantages of this approach is students can develop their career from undergraduate if they go to abroad for a certain period of time for studying or experience real life job experiment. Moreover, they can learn from the experience in studying abroad and working in a job environment. As a result, they gain the confidence after graduation to further study and have the working experience as some jobs required to show job experiences. For example, some university allow students to go to abroad for a certain amount time to study for a particular course. They allow students to work as a part-time job in some companies.
However, one significant disadvantage is that studying abroad can be expensive. To study in abroad, it could be costly to move in a new country, and find accommodation, and to cover daily expenses.In addition, students can spend less time in their studying if they invest their time in a part-time job . Consequently, it will hamper their grades and also be cost-effective to study in a new country. For example, students get the opportunity to study abroad, but they couldnot make it beacuse of the lack of funding. So, they don't get chance to develop their career.
In conclusion, during undergraduates studying abroad and doing a part-time work can limit their development, it has more advantages than the drawbacks.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| 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 studying abroad or doing a work placement during an undergraduate degree. A clear position is stated in the introduction, claiming that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks, and this position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the ideas are somewhat repetitive and under-developed. For example, the points regarding career development and part-time jobs are touched upon but lack deep elaboration or concrete, well-explained examples. The mention of job experience is repeated multiple times rather than extended with diverse supporting points. Therefore, the response aligns best with Band 6, where relevant ideas are presented, but some are insufficiently extended.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate advantages from disadvantages. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical or repetitive cohesive devices, such as the frequent use of 'Moreover', 'However', and 'For example'. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the concluding sentence which awkwardly connects undergraduate studies with limitations rather than summarizing the core argument smoothly. While the text is generally easy to follow, the cohesion lacks flexibility, placing this response solidly in the Band 6 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'undergraduate', 'accommodation', 'financial', and 'career development'. There are several word choice and collocation errors that detract from precision, such as 'job experiment' instead of 'work experience', 'to study in abroad' rather than 'to study abroad', and using 'cost-effective' incorrectly to mean costly or burdensome. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical clumsiness is evident throughout. These limitations in precision and the presence of noticeable lexical errors mean the response sits comfortably at a Band 5.5, which rounds to 6.0 under standard reporting conventions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing dependent clauses and conditional structures such as 'As a result, they gain the confidence...' and 'If they invest their time...'. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in prepositions and articles, including 'go to abroad', 'in a new country', and 'spend less time in their studying'. Furthermore, there is a major structural slip in the final paragraph: 'during undergraduates studying abroad and doing a part-time work can limit their development', which lacks a main subject-verb connection or correct prepositional framing. Despite these errors, meaning is rarely impeded, supporting a Band 5.5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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