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)

Today's job market is tight. Many graduates across the globe are finding it difficult to get a job. In this scenario, getting into a good university which provides detail regarding its acedamic and placement hours plays a crucial role. Further, in my opinion this has many advantages.

Firstly, the major advantage is that students get to know what their programme includes and what weightage it gives to studies and placements during the course years. This further helps youngsters to choose the right collage to enroll in. Moreover, including the specific hours of study and work gives assurance to students that they will be saught after their graduation and secure a job. Unknowingly, this helps them to work more efficiently during their undergraduate programme and built strong networks which help them to get a job in future.

Even though, it might be difficult for educational institutions to guarantee the hours spent in acedemics and placements doing so gives students a rough idea about how often they might need to relocate for their work placements which can help them to plan in prior. For instance, healthcare professional are required to travel across remote areas for work placements during their graduation which further reduces the stress regarding finances and accomodation. Furthermore, having a perfect timetable helps students to make efficient Strategies and study in an efficient way to score decent grads in their papers.

In conclusion, all universities should include specific time spent on studies and work placements as it has several advantages which outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses. However, the interpretation of the prompt slightly drifts. The prompt specifically asks about the requirement of spending a period studying abroad or working, whereas the student focuses heavily on universities providing 'detail regarding its academic and placement hours' and helping students choose the right college. Despite this misinterpretation of the core premise, a position is presented and supported with examples, such as healthcare professionals traveling for placements. The ideas are relevant to higher education outcomes but lack full development regarding the actual experience of studying abroad or working versus the downsides. Therefore, the response partially addresses the broader implications of the task, earning a solid Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged into four paragraphs, including an introduction and conclusion, demonstrating a basic overall structure. Progression is attempted through transition markers like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and paragraph unity are occasionally faulty. For instance, the second paragraph mixes the ideas of course transparency, college selection, and job assurance into a dense block of text without clear logical progression between these distinct sub-topics. Furthermore, paragraph three attempts to introduce disadvantages ('Even though, it might be difficult...'), but quickly pivots back to advantages and planning, creating a somewhat confused organizational flow. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or overused. Overall, the essay shows sufficient coherence for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for discussing education and employment, such as 'job market', 'educational institutions', and 'relocate'. However, there are several noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'acedamic' instead of 'academic', 'collage' instead of 'college', 'saught' instead of 'sought', 'built' instead of 'build', 'in prior' instead of 'in advance', and 'grads' instead of 'grades'. Additionally, collocation is sometimes awkward, as seen in 'make efficient Strategies'. These errors indicate a limited range with frequent slips, though communication is generally maintained, placing this lexical performance at a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing dependent clauses and conditional structures such as 'Even though, it might be difficult for educational institutions... doing so gives students a rough idea...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are punctuation issues, such as missing commas after introductory transitional phrases ('Firstly', 'Moreover', 'In conclusion') and an unnecessary comma splice or run-on structure in sentences like 'Unknowingly, this helps them to work more efficiently during their undergraduate programme and built strong networks which help them to get a job in future.' Article usage and verb tenses also show occasional lapses. Because errors are frequent and occasionally cause minor rereading, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.

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

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