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)

Nowadays, many people argue that some period of undergraduate studies should be spent abroad or gain practical experience. It may put finacial burden on some students, in my opinion personal and professional benefits can outweigh any potential disadvantage.

Some people believe that this policy may cause financial burden on some families. For instance, universities tuition fees are already high and students often take loans to meet this requirments. This may cause extra burden on students. Furthemore, study abroad and work placement may extend the duration of a degee, this may waste student's precious time.

On the other hand, there are so many benefits of this policy. Students can get practical exposure while working with their seniors. For example, students get to know about the demand of the skills that actually required by the industry. So they can enhance their skills during their studies which eventually help them to excel in their careers. Furthermore, study abroad can also benefical in building the character of the student, they may get a chance to interact with other nationalities. For example, working in a internationl company students can learn how to deal with local clients, this will give them the opportunity to work in multinational companies in future. In addition, students can also do networking with professionals of their industry which can help them in their professional careers in the time of need.

In my opinion, this can be a excellent grooming opportunity for students personally and professionally. Despite, the temporary hardships the benefits of this policy may last longer.

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 including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and presents a clear overall position in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant, such as financial burdens, extended degree durations, practical exposure, and character building. However, some arguments lack full development and depth. For instance, the point about networking is introduced briefly without sufficient supporting elaboration. The examples provided, such as working with seniors or dealing with local clients, help support the main points, aligning the response with Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors. Ultimately, the student addresses the prompt adequately and maintains a clear viewpoint throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, disadvantages, advantages, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand' are employed to connect ideas, though some transitional phrasing feels slightly mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, but occasional minor lapses in cohesive flow prevent the response from reaching a higher band. For example, the transition between the final body paragraph and the conclusion could be smoother. Overall, the organizational structure is clear and easy to follow, satisfying the criteria for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'practical exposure', 'multinational companies', and 'grooming opportunity'. However, there are notable lexical errors and spelling mistakes throughout the text, such as 'finacial' instead of 'financial', 'requirments' instead of 'requirements', and 'degee' instead of 'degree'. Collocations are sometimes awkward, such as 'demand of the skills that actually required'. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without severely impeding communication, placing the performance solidly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar with structures like 'Students can get practical exposure while working with their seniors.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, such as comma splices ('...building the character of the student, they may get a chance...'), subject-verb agreement issues ('study abroad can also benefical'), and missing prepositions ('extended the duration of a degee'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the essay from achieving a Band 7.0. The control over grammar is characteristic of Band 6.0.

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