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 abroad 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 a lot effort to adjust in their university, 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 barrier. As a result, it will be problem for a student to adapt the new country and hence, wont be able 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 opportunity to professionally work in their career fields, and work with experts of that field. For instance, a tech students can learn a lot in America which has the Silicon valley, a hub of IT industry. Consequently, it can be beneficial for their profession and enhance 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 spending studying or doing work placements as a course has some drawbacks, I believe its advantages outweigh its disadvantages because a student can get professional knowledge and get chance to learn different lifestyles.

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 of making study abroad or work placements mandatory for undergraduate students, and presents a clear position throughout. The introduction outlines the writer's view that advantages outweigh disadvantages. In the body paragraphs, relevant ideas are presented, such as academic disruption and language barriers for the disadvantages, and practical hands-on work experience and cultural awareness for the advantages. However, some ideas tend to be slightly repetitive or under-developed, such as the brief mention of cross-cultures at the end of the third paragraph. Overall, the task is well addressed, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is coherent overall with a clear logical arrangement separating disadvantages and advantages into distinct paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'Although this development', 'One major drawback', 'Moreover', and 'However'. However, referencing and transitional phrases occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as starting multiple paragraphs with 'One major drawback' or 'One major benefit'. Additionally, some sentences within paragraphs lack smooth linking, which places this text securely in the Band 6 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'academic disruption', 'practical hands-on-work', and 'cross-cultures'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'a student has to spent' instead of 'spend', 'adjust in their university', and 'adapt the new country' instead of 'adapt to'. Spelling and word formation are generally clear, but these lexical errors and some repetition limit the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. Complex structures are attempted with varying degrees of success, such as conditional or concessive clauses ('Although this development has some disadvantages, I believe...'). There are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including tense inconsistencies and preposition issues like 'spent studying abroad', 'adjust in their university', and 'for him to study'. While these errors occasionally cause the reader to pause, they rarely impede overall communication, placing the grammar performance at a Band 6.0.

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