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)
Nowadays, the discussion about the opportunity to learn or do a job in foreign country of the university undergraduates is ongoing. This essay will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages before presenting a clear opinion.
On the one hand, there are many positive aspects of going abroad either for study purposes or for getting a job experience. One of the benefits of this include that, if someone is studying in abroad then, it will provide him the facility to learn their culture. Furthermore, it will be a great option to explore their popular areas in free times. For example, in our last semester of university we got the opportunity to travel abroad for our research purpose, that brought the ability to know that place and their people. Another benefit include that, getting a work experience will help to know various things which will assist in the future career of the students. For example, in our trip to abroad we learnt different techniques from our homeland that will surely have positive impact on our future specially on how to manage difficult tasks at the same time.
On the other hand, even though it gives a lot of merits but it have some demerits as well. Working or studying in a foreign country can sometimes divert the people attention from their purpose of visit. They got totally involved in their culture and try to act like them. One of the negative impact include that, the students will start to adapt their lifestyle. For example, a friend of mine went to study abroad for a month but, she got fully involved in their culture and neglected her reason for arrival that brought her in many risks.
In conclusion, going abroad provide many benefits; however, if we use this opportunity wrong then, it will be quite challenging for us.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| 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 university. A clear position is presented in the introduction, though the conclusion is somewhat brief and repetitive. Ideas are generally relevant, but some points are slightly under-developed and rely on personal anecdotes rather than broader arguments, leaning towards over-generalisation. For example, the argument that students might get fully distracted and neglect their studies is illustrated with a single weak example of a friend who went for a month. While the prompt's requirements are met, the depth of idea extension corresponds to a Band 6.0 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion appropriately. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing is sometimes unclear or repetitive, as seen with phrases like 'getting a work experience will help to know various things which will assist in the future career of the students'. Additionally, the flow of sentences within paragraphs occasionally feels mechanical rather than naturally linked, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases like 'university undergraduates' and 'research purpose'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'in abroad' instead of 'abroad', 'getting a work experience', and 'use this opportunity wrong'. Spelling and word-formation errors do not generally impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5, reflecting a limited yet minimally adequate range with noticeable errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability with subordinate clauses (e.g., 'even though it gives a lot of merits but it have some demerits as well'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('it have', 'One of the benefit include that'), incorrect prepositions ('in foreign country'), and double marking of conjunctions ('even though... but'). These errors do not completely impede communication, but they occur with enough frequency to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.0, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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