Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22
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)
The students in all the educational institutes, that are studying in undergraduate programs should learn either about spending some time in a different country for studies or getting an experience of work by any company. There are so many advantages of this like the candidates will be able to analyze the difference between two country's educational systems, and of course, placements will provide them with the best working experience before graduation. I think the good consequences are quite more enough to overcome the disadvantages.
Abroad study has a vast area of research and technology, that enables a spirit of learning more confidently. On contrary to this, the local knowledge can not inculcate confidence as much as the international departments can. In addition to that, they also have more research related materials like modern equipments, gadgets and some data handling analyzers.Although the students get to know about various modules of softwares in their own country, the advanced hubs of commutational skills in abroad make them realize the cruciality of exploring across the borders. It provides them an environment, where one can easily get succeed in one's upcoming life.
On the other hand, working at some work places before getting a degree, is also cosidered beneficial for learners. This makes them an expertie, who can conquer the employement field consequently as compared to those who did not do a job. So, both arguements fully support the advantages.
In conclusion, the universities should encourage students to do a job or spend some time in foreign institutes to escalate their vocational and learning skills. This can bring diversified experience
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 prompt by discussing both studying abroad and work placements, and clearly states an opinion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are introduced, such as differing educational systems and gaining professional experience, but some points are underdeveloped or lack specific supporting examples. For instance, the discussion on research materials and computational skills mentions modern equipment and software modules without fully elaborating on how these directly impact the undergraduate experience. There is a tendency to over-generalise slightly, particularly in the conclusion where the argument is summarized rather than deeply extended. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it at a Band 6.0 according to the criteria.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion, though the final sentence is cut off abruptly. Logical sequencing is present, moving from study abroad to work placements. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly used, as seen with transitional phrases like 'On contrary to this' and 'In addition to that'. Paragraphing is utilized, but the transition between ideas within paragraphs can occasionally feel disjointed. Referencing is generally clear, though minor lapses in cohesion prevent the text from achieving a higher band. These characteristics align well with the Band 6.0 descriptor for logical progression and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'inculcate', 'cruciality', and 'employement'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and spelling errors, such as 'equipments' (uncountable), 'commutational' (computational), 'cosidered' (considered), 'expertie' (expert), and 'arguements' (arguments). Additionally, collocations are occasionally unnatural, such as 'conquer the employement field'. Despite these errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without severely impeding communication. This performance fits the Band 6.0 descriptor for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several errors in punctuation, article usage, and subject-verb agreement, such as 'The students in all the educational institutes, that are studying...' and 'the advanced hubs of commutational skills in abroad'. Furthermore, sentence structures can be clumsy, and the final sentence is incomplete. While these errors do not completely obscure the message, they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching a Band 6.5 or higher. A score of 6.0 accurately reflects a mix of complex structures alongside noticeable errors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.