Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20
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)
Education is vital for everyone. It is often suggested that a period of overseas study or a work placement should form a compulsory part of every undergraduate degree programme. Therefore, I firmly believe that the merits of this phenomenon outstrip it's demerits.
on the one hand, there are multifarious benefits of the studying abroad or a work placement. This is mainly duo to the fact that when a student experienced study in the other countries then they have a better job opportunities as well as better job skill.
Moreover, All the students who have to studying abroad they experienced the culture exposure of any countries in the globe, on top of it, when a lot of students lived in other countries they all are capabilities of personal growth for instance they all are managed their time by their own himself whether it is college time, part-time work, making food and build other skills.
In addition, there are more advantage of the overseas studios or a work placement and internship program. This is chiefly due to the fact that whoever studying in other countries they have a higher and improved employability rate according to their relevant field of course. Furthermore, Most of the students builds networking when they lived outside their own country also it is directly affect their job rales or making new relationships.
on the other hand, studying abroad come with a certain drawbacks. This is owing to the fact that studies is expensive and most afford of the middle-class family can not afford it. Besides this, another major concern is disruption for students with financial responsibilities because when students wants to studying abroad they takes a large amount of loan as well as they also handal their living expenses.
To recapitulate, after scrutinizing the topic in it's entirety. It can be manifested that although worldwide exposure provides better job skill, higher employability rate, different culture exposure, networking, it's drawbacks cannot be ignored.
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 prompt, 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: 'I firmly believe that the merits of this phenomenon outstrip it's demerits.' The main body paragraphs present relevant ideas regarding employability, cultural exposure, personal growth, networking, and financial drawbacks. However, some ideas are repetitive, particularly the points regarding employment and studying abroad, which are restated across multiple paragraphs without significant new development. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it at Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing both sides, and a conclusion. Transitional markers such as 'on the one hand', 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'on the other hand' are used to structure the text. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'This is mainly duo to the fact that when a student experienced study in the other countries then they have...' Furthermore, the concluding sentence is a sentence fragment ('To recapitulate, after scrutinizing the topic in it's entirety. It can be manifested that...'). These issues indicate a Band 5.5 level of coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, including 'compulsory', 'employability rate', 'networking', and 'financial responsibilities'. However, there are numerous lexical and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'outstrip it's demerits' (incorrect apostrophe use and collocation), 'duo' instead of 'due', 'studios' instead of 'studies', 'handal' instead of 'handle', and 'job rales' instead of 'roles'. While the meaning remains generally clear, the frequency of word-choice and spelling errors prevents the score from reaching a higher band. This performance aligns with Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional-like structures. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and prepositional use. Examples include 'when a student experienced study in the other countries then they have', 'whoever studying in other countries they have', 'most afford of the middle-class family can not afford it', and 'when students wants to studying abroad they takes a large amount of loan'. These persistent errors frequently cause difficulty and distraction for the reader, corresponding to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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