Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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)

In recent years, all university undergraduate courses have included a period of time a student has to spent studying aborad or doing a work placement as course has become increasingly common. Although this development has some disadvantages, I believe that its advantages are greater because it can give a student with practical hands-on-work and cultural awareness.

There are several disadvantages associated with undergraduate students learning abroad or doing work placement as a course work. One major drawback is academic disruption. This is mainly because it already takes student alot effort to adjust in their univeristy, and then leaving it for course and adjusting somewhere else becomes a hurdle. Moreover, the language, culture, food differences would be biggest concern for a student. For example a Pakistani student who only knows urdu and english, for him to study or work in Germany or turkey will be challenging because of the language barier. As a result, it will be problem for a student to adapt the new country and hence, wont be able to to focus on work.

However, I believe the advantages are more significant. One major benefit is that student can get practical knowledge of his field. They can get an apportunity to professionally work in their career fields, and work with experts of that field. For instance, a tech students can learn alot in America which has the Silicon valley, a hub of IT industry. Consequently, it can be benefical for their proffesion and ehance their professional knowledge. Another, important advantage is that they can get a chance to experience cross-cultures. Living abroad can give you knowledge about how other people live.

In conclusion, although a university undergraduate student spenting studying or doing work placements as a course has some drawbacks, I believe its advantages outweigh its disadvantages because a student can get proffesional knowledge and get chance to learn different lifestyles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and presents a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas presented are generally relevant, such as academic disruption and language barriers as disadvantages, and practical knowledge and cultural awareness as advantages. However, some arguments are slightly under-developed and rely on generalisations rather than deep elaboration, which places this response comfortably in the Band 6 territory. The writer clearly attempts to cover the requirements of the task, supporting their stance with recognisable examples like Silicon Valley, but the overall depth of task response prevents it from reaching a Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, and distinct body paragraphs tackling opposing viewpoints. Cohesive devices are used to signal shifts in logic, such as 'There are several disadvantages', 'However, I believe', and 'In conclusion'. Nevertheless, there are some mechanical or awkward transitions, and referencing can occasionally feel repetitive or slightly unclear. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas, but the flow between sentences could sometimes be smoother to achieve a higher band descriptor. Overall, the logical progression is generally maintained throughout the response, satisfying the criteria for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'academic disruption', 'cultural awareness', and 'practical hands-on-work'. However, there are several noticeable spelling errors ('aborad', 'alot', 'barier', 'benefical', 'proffesion', 'spenting') and occasional inappropriate word choices or word forms like 'tech students' and 'cross-cultures'. While these lexical errors do not seriously impede communication, their frequency prevents the piece from achieving a higher score. The writer shows an ability to use topic-specific terminology, but tighter control over spelling and word formation is required to secure a Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating the ability to construct multi-clause sentences such as 'Although this development has some disadvantages, I believe that its advantages are greater...' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly concerning verb tense consistency, prepositions, and article usage, such as 'a period of time a student has to spent', 'adjust in their univeristy', and 'for him to study or work in Germany or turkey will be challenging'. Additionally, punctuation slips and run-on structures occasionally surface. These errors do not entirely obscure the meaning, but they occur frequently enough to warrant a Band 5.5 classification under the grammar criteria.

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