Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 university undergraduate course should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. Although ~, there are both advantages and disadvantages of this requirement. I believe that its advantages are considerably greater.

One of the major advantage of studying abroad or doing a work placement is student can gain practical skills and real life experience. Nowadays, university usually focus on theoretical knowledge rather than the practical one which don't allow them to apply what they have learned in an actual workplace. By participating in an actual workplace student can improve their communication, teamwork and problem solving abilities which is important for their career. For example, a business student who works in a company can learn how to communicate with customers and collegue which is difficult to learn in class lessons.

However, there are some disadvantages for making such programme compulsory. The main problem is the additional financial burden which create difficulties for middle class families. Travelling abroad and paying for accomodation, transportation and other living expenses can be expensive for the student as they can't rely on their parents. As well as students can feel homesickness. Some students may struggle to find suitable work placement. For instance, students from low income families may be unable to afford living cost in another country without financial assistance. Nevertheless universities can reduce this problem by offering Scholarship and financial support.

In conclusion, Although studying abroad or doing a work placement create financial and practical difficulties. I think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages. The practical knowledge, cultural awareness and real world experience gain from these oppurtunities can significantly contribute student's personal and professional development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task, presenting both advantages and disadvantages of making study abroad or work placements compulsory, while clearly stating an overall position. The student argues effectively that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed; for instance, the points regarding practical skills and financial burdens are introduced with relevant examples (such as business students communicating with customers), but they could be extended further with deeper analysis to reach a higher band. Nevertheless, the main position is maintained throughout the essay. The essay successfully meets the criteria for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7 for clear positioning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response exhibits a clear overall logical organization and progression. Ideas are divided into logical paragraphs, beginning with an introduction that includes a thesis statement, followed by distinct body paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'One of the major advantage', 'However', 'For example', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader, although some referencing is slightly faulty or repetitive (e.g., grammatical plural agreement issues like 'One of the major advantage'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately throughout the text, contributing to a coherent structure that aligns with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common items such as 'theoretical knowledge', 'financial burden', and 'cultural awareness'. However, there are noticeable errors in word formation, spelling, and plurals that slightly impede fluency, such as 'major advantage' instead of 'major advantages', 'accomodation' instead of 'accommodation', 'collegue' instead of 'colleagues', and 'oppurtunities' instead of 'opportunities'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, placing this performance solidly within the Band 6 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses (e.g., 'which don't allow them to apply what they have learned'). There are, however, several recurring grammatical and punctuation errors, including missing articles, subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'all university undergraduate course should include', 'student can gain'), and incomplete fragments at the beginning of the introduction ('Although ~, there are...'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7. The control of grammar aligns best with the Band 6 descriptors.

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