Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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)

The concept of undergraduate students to go abroad for studying some courses or for work is ubiquitous across the globe due to its importance. Some people are in the favour of this notion because of its merits, whie others think of its demerits first. This essay will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the idea.

The first and foremost advantage is the increase in number of opportunities. The offer to spent a period of time in any foreign country for undergraduate courses or for work placement will provide a lot of chances. For example, if a student goes to abroad for studying a specific subject, this might benefit him with the chance of getting an admission in a better university or to be involved in a long term project. The other benefit is the exposure. If people travel to other countries, this will increase their experience and knowledge in life. For instance, an individual who has studied or worked in multiple countries will have more information about culture and how things work in different communities in comparison to one who has spent his life in only one country.

On its darker side, some of the drawbacks which makes it problematic are, first the universities cannot manage to send all of their students. There are only a limited number of positions available. Secondly, if all students prefer to go abroad, there will be an increase in competition and less people available for the development of the native country. To cite an example, every university offers a fix number of seats for international students, as they have a major proportion for the local students. Hence, its not possible for each one of them to avail this chance.

In conclusion to the above statement, neither its pros can be neglected nor its cons. It is a mixed bag of positives and negatives. In my opinion, the statement should not be underestimated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or doing a work placement, fulfilling the prompt requirements. However, the position is not always clearly maintained, and the ideas presented are somewhat limited and under-developed. For example, in the second body paragraph, the advantage of 'exposure' is mentioned, but the explanation remains general and lacks extension or specific real-world examples beyond a basic comparison. Similarly, the conclusion merely restates that there are pros and cons without clearly summarising your final stance on whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. To reach a higher level, you should ensure that all main ideas are fully extended and supported with detailed, specific explanations and a more decisive overall position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, demonstrating an attempt at paragraphing. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical or repetitive cohesive devices. For instance, transitional phrases like 'The first and foremost advantage', 'The other benefit', and 'On its darker side' are somewhat formulaic and basic. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'neither its pros can be neglected nor its cons' lacks smooth integration with the preceding arguments. To improve, you should aim for a more natural and flexible use of cohesive devices to guide the reader seamlessly through your reasoning and ensure a clear overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your ideas about studying abroad and work placements. You attempt some less common vocabulary, such as 'ubiquitous' and 'development of the native country', but these attempts are occasionally accompanied by minor inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, or spelling. For example, writing 'whie' instead of 'while' and using phrases like 'spent a period of time' where 'spend' is required, or mentioning a 'fix number of seats' instead of 'fixed'. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey your main points, but errors in word form and minor spelling slips occasionally surface. To achieve a higher band, you need to expand your use of precise, less common lexical items with greater control over collocation and stylistic appropriateness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'If people travel to other countries, this will increase their experience and knowledge in life.' However, there are frequent errors in grammar and sentence structures that cause some difficulty for the reader. For instance, the opening sentence contains a structural error: 'The concept of undergraduate students to go abroad...', which should instead use a gerund phrase or subordinate clause. Furthermore, there are issues with articles ('the number of opportunities', 'the offer to spent'), subject-verb agreement ('drawbacks which makes'), and prepositions. While some complex structures are attempted, they are often faulty. To improve, you should focus on increasing your control over basic grammatical patterns, verb tenses, and agreements to ensure error-free sentence construction.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.