Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 task says all university undergrad course should include some time period for studying abroad , in easy words you can say a semester exchange program or should include doing a work placement which means an internship. According to me it is extremely practical thing which should be added in university undergraduate programs and it has multiple advantages .

First of all, adding a semester exchange program is so beneficial for students as for 6 months they can move abroad , continue their education moreover they can learn new cultures , meet new people , can expand thier social circle and definitely can increase and built confidence .I would like to add an example of my second cousin she went to china on semester excahnge and when she came back she knew so much things about chinese thier cumtures the geogrpahy , she has seen so many places and she even had learnt Chinese language and plus she made so many friends in china .

Secondly , adding internship or a work placement for students is another important extra curricular for students so that they can get real life practical experience before completing their education .In this way, they can get a job easily after graduating .As now a days unemployment issues are increasing day by day studnets can earn while student or not only money but they can earn practical life experience also .This will help them mainting thier time , being responsible and managing studies with job, which will definitely help them in future. One of my friend she used to do some pary tome job while studying and when she completed her degree and moved abroad fpr masters with her sister so she didnt found it difficult managing studies with job but her sister ised to find it a littli tiring and hectic.

A semester exchange and an internship can help atudents alot in their future as well because when they will be moving aborad for further studies for a better future ,these two things will help them alot in being mix merge in new people in new culture in new surroundings , they can easily adapt their environment and when they have to do part time jobs they will not it difficult to mangae studies with internships,as they will be quite familiar with this experience.

As far as i can think of ,i dont think there is any disadvantage of these two great changes in educational sytem . These two changes will only help and built students cognitive ,physical and mental skills.

I would like to conclude it by adding my opinion which is i beleive the advantages are definitely outweighing any disadvantage, if exists.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe the advantages of overseas study and work placements outweigh any disadvantages. You address both options and support them with relevant examples, including your cousin’s exchange in China and your friend’s experience combining work and study. These examples help explain cultural learning, confidence and practical experience. However, the discussion of disadvantages is brief: you dismiss them as nonexistent rather than considering possible costs, access barriers or disruption to study. Some benefits, such as improved employability and adaptability, are repeated without being fully explained. To strengthen the response, acknowledge a realistic drawback and explain why the benefits still outweigh it, while developing each main point with clearer cause-and-effect reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs on exchange study and work placements, a paragraph linking both to future adaptability, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “Secondly” and “As far as I can think of” make the progression easy to follow. However, some connections are mechanical, and ideas overlap: the paragraph about future adaptability repeats benefits already discussed. Several sentences also contain many points joined together, making relationships between them less clear. For example, the exchange paragraph moves from cultural learning to social confidence and then to a long personal example. Group related points more selectively, use clearer referencing, and make each paragraph advance a distinct part of the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “semester exchange program,” “work placement,” “practical experience,” “unemployment” and “adapt.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “cognitive, physical and mental skills.” However, spelling errors and inaccurate or unnatural word combinations are noticeable, including “excahnge,” “thier,” “built confidence,” “mix merge” and “mainting thier time.” Repetition of “alot,” “help” and “students” also limits flexibility. These choices sometimes make the reader pause, even though the intended meaning is usually recoverable. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations, especially for describing cultural adjustment, employment prospects and balancing responsibilities.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “as,” “when” and “which,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, control is uneven, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “she went to China … and when she came back she knew so much things” has problems with tense and countability, while “when they will be moving abroad” uses an unsuitable future construction after “when.” There are also errors in agreement and sentence boundaries, as in “all university undergrad course should include” and the run-on sentence beginning “One of my friend.” Use shorter, more controlled sentences when presenting examples, and review subject–verb agreement, articles, plurals and punctuation.

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