Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03
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)
University undergraduates courses should design courses where the students should get the experience of abroad studying or gettting a work placement. In my opinion, the advantages of this method should outweigh the disadvantage because physical knowledge is more important than theoretical knowledge, and exposure to abroad will be helpful as well, with only a minor drawbacks.
To begin with, the main benefit is that finding a work plcement in your undergraduates studies, this will help the student because mostly we think after graduation then we can start working and will gain experience after the studies. For example, after graduation because of lack of physical knowledge no recruiter is willing to offer a job to a fresh student, but for an undergraduate student when he tries to look for work placement early in his career, not only he will gain more knowledge in between, but will get the experience of different domains in working and after graduation he will be ready for a job placement. And the course related to studying abroad benefit student to explore the world and keep them up to date with new trends and technologies and eventually it will help them to grow in their career.
On the other hand, there are few disadvantages as well, if we talk about studying abroad, maybe at that time he will not able to do well in this course because of language barrier or inexperience of living alone that could be convert into real bad for him. And also for a work point of view the student who is not getting the desired job, it could demotivate him and as a result he can get lost in his career.
In conclusion, I think this courses should have been included so the student should gain more knowledge and practical experience, and start their career without any difficulty, but there are disadvantages that should not be ignored.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and a clear position is presented. However, the ideas are somewhat unevenly developed. For instance, the discussion on work placements is extended with an example about recruiters and fresh graduates, whereas the section on studying abroad is more limited and relies on general statements like keeping up to date with new trends. To move to a higher level, all main ideas should be fully extended with more specific examples and thorough explanations throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay displays an overall coherent arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the argument into an introduction, body paragraphs addressing both sides, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different facets of the topic. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical or repetitive cohesive devices, such as starting multiple sentences with 'To begin with' or 'And also'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in pronoun shifts like 'if we talk about studying abroad, maybe at that time he will not able to do well'. Improving the variety and precision of transitional phrases would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts some less common items such as 'physical knowledge', 'recruiters', and 'demotivate'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and collocation that stem from literal translations or confusion, such as 'abroad studying', 'gettting a work placement', and 'plcement'. Additionally, phrases like 'real bad for him' lack appropriate academic register. To improve, the student needs to focus on accurate word formation, precise collocations, and maintaining a formal tone suitable for academic writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('this courses should have been included') and run-on sentences with awkward phrasing ('for an undergraduate student when he tries to look for work placement early in his career, not only he will gain...'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede overall communication. Greater control over complex sentence patterns and reduced frequency of structural errors would elevate the writing to the next level.
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