Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 the coursework of bacholars should have a dedicated period of foreign studies and professional work experience.This stanc has a lot of merits like it boosts networking, gives international exposure and bridges acadmics with industry, so i think the advantages would outweigh the disadvantage. In this essay, i will prove my viewpoint and draw the conclusion.

The major advantage is Networking. When students go outside the campus , they meet multiple pupils. It helps them in boosting the confidence and getting multiple opportunites. They have different interest and intelligence levels which collectively help alot to make something innovative. If talking about the placement, It has a huge advantage of bridging the studies with practical use. Students can understand the importance of studies after noticing its implementation in real life. Once, they successfully achieve the professional experience in their student life, then they become ready for big opportunities in industry. For instance, A student goes to London from Sydney, studies Economics and makes friends and professional network. And, there is another student completed his education in one campus.Can both be equal in terms of professional standings and networking assets?

On the other hand, some students are emotional dependent on their family and friends, so it is difficult for them to leave them for international studies. Also, if student focuses on practical work in his academic life, then it will be difficult for him to do theoretical research for better innovations.

All in all, on the basis of merit i think every university should allocate a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. Networking and Connection between the acadmics and industry are the jewels for students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both studying abroad and work placements, and clearly takes a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the paragraph discussing networking and international exposure is moderately well-extended, whereas the counterargument regarding emotional dependence and the trade-off with theoretical research remains somewhat limited and superficial. To move towards a higher level, the writer needs to ensure that both supporting arguments and counterarguments are explored with equal depth, providing more fully elaborated explanations and concrete examples rather than brief generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, making the writer's position apparent from the beginning. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different facets of the topic, such as the advantages in the second paragraph and the counterarguments in the third. Nevertheless, cohesion is at times mechanical or somewhat simplistic, relying on basic signposts like 'On the other hand' and 'All in all'. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as in the rhetorical question sequence where pronoun links could be smoother. To achieve a stronger flow, the writer should employ a wider and more natural range of cohesive devices to link sentences and paragraphs seamlessly without drawing unnecessary attention to the transition mechanics.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the main points about international exposure and professional placements. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'networking', 'professional standings', and 'practical use', but these are accompanied by noticeable spelling mistakes like 'bacholars' and 'acadmics', alongside awkward word choices such as 'emotional dependent' instead of emotionally dependent. While these lexical errors do not seriously impede overall communication, they restrict the score. To progress further, the student must expand their repertoire of precise academic collocations, pay closer attention to word forms and parts of speech, and eliminate spelling inaccuracies through careful proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional structures and rhetorical questions to engage the reader. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('goes to London', 'in industry'), incorrect comma usage and capitalization around conjunctions (e.g., lowercase 'i' or awkward comma splices like 'placement, It has'), and occasional preposition errors. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the fundamental meaning of the sentences remains clear. To reach a higher standard, the writer should aim for a greater proportion of error-free complex structures, ensuring rigorous control over subject-verb agreement, article usage, and punctuation conventions across the entire text.

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