Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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 acknowledge that the education plays significant role in the betterment of the varying societies. I firmly believe that including the time period of studying abroad and finding a jobs in different workplaces should be added to the all undergraduate universities degrees.

To commence with, the opportunity of the study in the abroad should be included into the curriculum of degrees of university. The chance to attend one or two semester into the different countries could bring numerous skills and the birth of innovative ideas and inventions in technology.

In addition, it assist the student to face with vary kind of cultural and ethnicity that results into the new friendships that could enhance the quality of life. The children can learn different aspects of specific country by knowledge of their historical values that change the mindset of every single individual. For instance, the computer science study avail the chance to study in japan which results in the increase of knowledge about AI and software due to the fact that japan is well known country for the technology development.

Consequently, there is another alternative of studying abroad that is seeking of jobs in different sectors of a workplace around the world. It encourages the child even more than their degree will not go into vain, it does have a useful purpose. By working placement in different regions that enhance the ability of people to work harder and they could be able to become familiar with work environment overall the world.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the advantages of studying and working in abroad bring several benefits such as enhancement in quality of life and in knowledge that naturally outweigh the disadvantages related to it.

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, presenting a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the paragraph on computer science and AI in Japan provides a relevant example, while other points, such as general cultural awareness and career progression, remain somewhat superficial and under-developed. To move to a higher level, the writer needs to extend and support all main ideas with deeper elaboration and more detailed examples rather than moving quickly between points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance stated in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate main ideas, such as studying abroad versus work placements. However, cohesion at times feels mechanical or faulty, seen in phrases like 'To commence with' and 'Consequently', which do not always establish the most logical transition between paragraphs. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun shifts between 'student', 'The children', and 'the child'. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure smoother logical progression throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts less common items such as 'innovative ideas', 'cultural and ethnicity', and 'technology development'. However, there are noticeable word choice, collocation, and word form errors that occasionally impede communication or reveal a lack of precision, such as 'It is widely acknowledge', 'study in the abroad', 'face with vary kind', and 'working placement'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical control is inconsistent. To reach a higher level, the student must use less common vocabulary with greater accuracy and awareness of style and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ability to combine clauses, such as 'By working placement in different regions that enhance the ability...'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with articles ('education plays significant role', 'the computer science study'), subject-verb agreement ('education plays', 'it assist'), prepositions ('in the abroad'), and pluralisation ('varying societies', 'all undergraduate universities degrees'). These errors reflect a limited control over complex structures. To achieve a higher score, the writer must produce a greater frequency of error-free sentences and demonstrate better control over basic grammatical patterns.

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