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)

Nowadays, people think that the university undergraduate courses spend some time in study abroad or the work placement. This essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages. But i think that advantages is more than the disadvantages.

One major advantages is that the student can gain the practical experience. At university, student gain the theoretical knowledge if they do a work placement, it allow them to use this experience in real situation. For example, a programming student can work in company and gain the knowledge how to solve the problem in program. This experience can make the student more confident and they also make their work with more efficient.

Another advantage of studing abroad is that the students can get the knowledge of different culture and they also improve their communication skills. Living in another country help them to become more independent and understand the way of life. For instance, student who study abroad may need to communicate with people, which can improve their language and social skills. They also know about hte lifestyle of the other country.

In contrast, there are some disadvantages, studing abroad and work placement can be expensive and some student cannot afford the high money. Some students may find it difficult to away from their families. However, these problems can reduce by scholarship, financial system and the university programmes.

In conclusion, although studying abroad or doing a work placement may have some disadvantages, I believe the benefits are greater. Practical experience, independence and better communication skills can help students in their future careers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, and presents a clear position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. While the advantages of practical experience and cultural exposure are supported with relevant examples like a programming student or communicating with locals, the disadvantages section is relatively limited and briefly stated. To reach a higher level, all main ideas would need equal extension and depth, avoiding any tendency to over-generalize points such as financial solutions or family separation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing advantages and disadvantages, and a distinct conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct topics like practical experience and studying abroad. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty, with basic transitional markers like 'Another advantage' and 'In contrast' used repetitively, and referencing that is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun use referring back to plural or singular nouns ambiguously. Clearer logical progression and more flexible cohesive devices would elevate this aspect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the writer's basic points regarding work placements and studying abroad. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'theoretical knowledge' and 'financial system', but this is accompanied by noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form, including phrases like 'high money' instead of 'expensive costs' or 'high expenses', and minor spelling slips like 'studing' and 'hte'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score, and more precise, natural phrasing is needed for a higher tier.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'if they do a work placement, it allow them to use this experience'. However, there are frequent minor errors in grammar, agreement, and articles, including subject-verb agreement issues ('advantages is', 'student gain', 'it allow'), missing plural markers ('in company'), and prepositions inside patterns ('difficult to away'). While these errors rarely impede communication and the punctuation is generally functional, a higher level requires greater control over complex structures and a higher proportion of error-free sentences.

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