Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01
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 widely acknowledged that nowadays, improve practical experience is becoming increasely for university students. Some people believe that undergraduate courses should include a period of studying abroad or work placement. I trust that the advantages of this statement is outweigh the disadvantage because in my points of view it is useful for students skills and improved career opportunities.
To begin with, studying in abroad or doing a work placement provides various benefits. Firstly, students gain practical knowledge and learn how to use their subjects in their real life. For instance, business students doing work in companies and improve communication skills with customers. Secondly, if students studying in abroad or work in placement they have experience about different cultures and languages skills. This type of experience make them more confident and independent.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages to this approach. Studying in abroad or doing a work placement is expensive for some people they also need to pay travel, accomodation and food. Few individuals difficulties to live away with their families. Some work placement are unsuitable for some students in some subjects and not every student find easily their opportunity.
In conclusion, abroad university or work placement is provides personal and financial problems to some person and it advantages gives benefits. Practical experience and improve communication skills make more confident and independent to them. However, overseas study or work placement should provide affordable and flexible option to students.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or undertaking work placements during undergraduate courses, presenting a clear position that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. However, the development of ideas remains limited and under-developed, with some supporting points lacking adequate elaboration, such as the brief mention of costs and living away from families. Furthermore, the length requirement is not met, as the response falls short of the two hundred and fifty-word minimum by nine words, which restricts the depth of the overall discussion and pulls the score down to this level.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the essay into an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate main themes, such as benefits versus drawbacks. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on basic transitional markers like 'To begin with', 'Secondly', and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is not always clear, as seen in the conclusion where transitional links become muddled, preventing a fully smooth progression of ideas throughout the response.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary range used is limited but minimally adequate to communicate the central message of the essay. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'practical knowledge' and 'independent', but these attempts are frequently accompanied by noticeable errors in word form, choice, and collocation, including phrases like 'improve practical experience', 'studying in abroad', and 'not every student find easily their opportunity'. Additionally, spelling errors such as 'increasely' and 'accomodation' occur, causing some minor difficulty for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The essay displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside a few faulty attempts at complex clauses. Frequent grammatical errors are present throughout the text, including issues with verb forms and tenses, such as 'the advantages of this statement is outweigh', missing auxiliary verbs in 'students studying in abroad', and awkward prepositional use. These frequent errors in sentence construction and agreement can cause occasional difficulty for the reader, though the core meaning usually remains decipherable.
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