Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 the contemporary era, education has emerged as a profoundly contentious issue. Some people firmly argue that most of the universities courses should include a period of time to study abroad or to gain practical experience. I strongly believe that this development offers far greater advantages to outweigh the disadvantages.

To commence with, including specific period of time in universities courses can offer benefits in terms of greater career and job opportunities. This is primarily because studying abroad open up more chances to connect with international people which directly enhances their capability of engaging with different culture. Moreover, having a work experience may enhance their abilities to perform well in their profession more efficiently and attain superior outcomes. For example, students who have work experiences and chances to study in foreign country are more like to perform very well as compared to others.

Another the most significant advantage of this development is studying abroad and having field experience may result in developing more confident and competitive youth. Furthermore, when individuals learn in different universities and take experience prior to their degree completion, enhance their personal development and produce more trained professionals. For example, those who have been studied in international institutes and had work skills are better equipped to perform extraordinary in the fields. Consequently, a number of students can derive a substantial benefits from this.

In the contrary, it also has some disadvantages that should not be overlooked. Most of the universities do not provide scholarships and financial assistance which may contribute to burden on student life. These concerns are often overstated, which can be minimized by effective management.

In conclusion, universities should include a period of time to study abroad and having work experience during their studies. As a result, it provides far more advantages than disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task, presenting a clear position throughout the response that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are extended and supported, such as discussing career and job opportunities alongside personal development. However, there is a tendency to over-generalize and some supporting points lack specific depth, aligning closely with the Band 6 or Band 7 descriptors. For instance, the example provided in the second body paragraph states that 'students who have work experiences and chances to study in foreign country are more like to perform very well as compared to others,' which remains somewhat vague. The conclusion nicely reiterates the main stance, meaning all essential requirements of the prompt are satisfactorily met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response displays a clear overall progression and logical organization. The student employs organizational markers and cohesive devices such as 'To commence with,' 'Moreover,' 'Another the most significant advantage,' and 'In the contrary' to signal shifts in focus. However, some cohesive devices are used incorrectly or awkwardly, such as 'Another the most significant advantage' and 'In the contrary' instead of 'On the contrary.' Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct introduction, body, and concluding sections, though paragraph boundaries and transitions could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but mechanical errors in linking words hold this criterion back from a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'contemporary era,' 'profoundly contentious issue,' and 'financial assistance.' However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'universities courses' instead of 'university courses,' 'studying abroad open up' instead of 'opens up,' and 'derive a substantial benefits' instead of 'derive substantial benefits.' These inaccuracies do not severely impede communication, but they prevent the response from achieving a higher band score where more precise and flexible vocabulary control is required.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts complex structures with relative clauses and conditional ideas, such as 'when individuals learn in different universities and take experience prior to their degree completion, enhance their personal development...' which contains a missing subject for the second clause. Other grammatical errors occur, including 'have been studied' instead of 'have studied,' and missing plural or singular agreement markers. Despite these recurring errors in grammar and punctuation, the meaning is generally clear and communication is rarely impeded, positioning the response firmly at Band 6.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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