Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23

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)

This essay argues that universities must incorporate a work placement or allocate s specific time period for students to study abroad as a part of their undergraduate programs. There is a difference of opinion regarding this argument. Some view this proposal as having no or little significance, while othess think such progarms as a gateway to explore new opportunities that students can have and they can also unlock their potential. In my opinion, offering such programs at university level is a great way to extend learning opportunities for students.

Several advantages are related with such programs. When students get work placement during their academic journey they get hands on experience that leads them to have better working opportunities in future. Such work placemnets allow them to have relevant experience about how a real job rotuine looks alike. It also helps them to learn professional behaviour and atticates that are considered as a prerequisite for successfully entering into the job market. Along with this, if student get the opportunity to study abroad for some time as a part of their course, it may help them to widen their skill sets. It allows them to have better knowledge about how academics are delivered around the globe, and they can learn a lot from their fellow students. Study on aborad helps the students to boost their confidence. Students get motivation by such progams and they work hard to improve their academics to avail there opportunities.

Overall, universities can have a siginficant impact on studnets academic journey and what they will do after completing their studies. Such program helps students personally and professionally to navigate the challenges and can also help them in better decision making regarding their career prefrences

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages, ultimately taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. In the introduction, the writer outlines the opposing view before stating their stance. The body paragraphs effectively elaborate on the benefits of work placements, such as gaining hands-on experience and professional behavior, alongside the advantages of studying abroad like boosted confidence and global academic perspectives. However, the development of the disadvantages is somewhat limited; the essay focuses overwhelmingly on the benefits rather than weighing them against potential drawbacks like financial costs or extended graduation times. Nevertheless, ideas are generally relevant and extended, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile. Because the ideas are extended and the position is clear throughout, a score of 6.5 is appropriate for fully addressing the prompt while acknowledging minor under-development of the negative aspects.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each main body paragraph focusing on a distinct theme. However, there are noticeable issues with cohesive devices and referencing. For instance, the phrase 'Such work placemnets allow them' links ideas, but transitional phrases between paragraphs could be smoother and more varied. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, as seen in expressions like 'there opportunities' instead of 'their opportunities'. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, placing this response solidly in the Band 6 category. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to employ more sophisticated and flexible cohesive devices while eliminating repetitive linking patterns.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas about work placements and studying abroad effectively. There are attempts to use less common items and academic phrasing, such as 'hands on experience', 'professional behaviour', and 'prerequisite'. However, the text contains several spelling errors and typos, including 's specific' instead of 'a specific', 'othess', 'progarms', 'placemnets', 'rotuine', 'atticates', and 'siginficant'. There are also lexical collocation lapses such as 'Study on aborad' instead of 'Studying abroad'. These errors show that while the writer has a sufficient range of vocabulary, control over spelling and word choice is inconsistent, preventing the score from reaching a Band 7. These minor inaccuracies do not impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'When students get work placement during their academic journey they get hands on experience that leads them to have better working opportunities in future.' However, punctuation errors are present, particularly the omission of commas after introductory dependent clauses (e.g., 'When students get work placement during their academic journey they get...'). There are also minor grammatical slips like 'if student get' (singular/plural agreement) and missing articles. Despite these errors, the grammatical structures used do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout. This balance of mixed structures and persistent errors fits the Band 6 descriptor.

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