Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-24
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)
It is often argued that all undergraduate university students must spend a period of time studying in a foreign country or doing some workshop. I believe that the pros far outweigh the cons.
Firstly, I will discuss the benefits of adding this exercise in student's life. Spending time on a work place or studying abroad gives students practical knowledge, which cannot be learned in a classroom. For instance, if a mathematics student completes his internship in a software house, he gets practical knowledge about his field and apply his learnings in real life. Additionally, spending time in a new country or work place boosts students confidence and helps them to grow. Moreover, it also increases opportunities for students who gains real life experience.
On the other hand, despite these advantages there are also some drawbacks. Travelling, studying and living in a new country requires a lot of money, which can be a huge problem for many students. This also creates a difference between wealthy and under priviliged students. Moreover, many students face problem in adapting new system specially for those who face language barrier and home-sickness. westher change can also effect students heakth. This can effect their studies and mental wellbeing.
Taking everything into consideration, there are some pros and cons of mandotry international study or work such as severe financial and mental burden on students and practical life skills, but I firmly believes that the advantages outweighs the disadvantages
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 the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of making studying abroad or work placements mandatory, establishing a clear position that the pros outweigh the cons. Ideas are presented, such as practical knowledge and financial burdens, but they tend to be somewhat under-developed rather than fully extended. Crucially, as noted in the length check, the response contains only 240 words, which falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement. This negative constraint violation directly impacts task achievement, preventing the score from reaching Band 6.0. While all parts of the task are touched upon, the lack of sufficient length and depth places this response firmly at Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a generally clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'On the other hand', and 'Taking everything into consideration' are used to structure the text, though some referencing and transitions feel a bit mechanical ('Moreover, many students face problem...'). Paragraphing is utilised adequately to separate distinct themes. Despite minor mechanical elements in cohesion, the logical arrangement is clear enough to satisfy Band 6.0 descriptors.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'under-privileged', 'home-sickness', and 'wellbeing'. However, there are noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'workshop' instead of 'work placement', 'gains' instead of 'gain', 'adapting new system' instead of 'adapting to a new system', 'westher', and 'heakth'. Furthermore, word choices like 'software house' are slightly informal. These errors occasionally cause minor distractions, aligning the vocabulary performance with Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if a mathematics student completes his internship...'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent, featuring frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues ('advantages outweighs', 'student's life' vs plural contexts), missing articles ('in new country'), and spelling/typographical errors that slip into grammatical confusion. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of errors in complex structures prevents the score from reaching Band 6.0, making Band 5.5 a more accurate reflection.
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.