Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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)

Well its better to do work placement during undergraduate studies my overall experience concludes that while undergraduation the practical knowledge in field is the most important as I am a Civil Engineer studied from Uet Peshawar.

There no work placement officially from university so that exposure related to the field and construction was not gained so this was a disadvantage and if all universities include the work placement during undergraduate studies in courses then it will have more advantages for the students.

They will better understand and will have more knowledge in practical field as well as in academics. It provides a better future for the country and students because of the practical experience that the students gained during graduation so accordingly the graduates which will join the firms in future will be well experienced and also well in academics they will work better in their related firms, So the advantages are more then the disadvantages. according to my opinion or thinking the disadvantage it might be that work placement for the students during undergraduation can required more time which a student could manage difficultly as the universities timings are normally from 8 am sharply upto 4 pm so it might be challenging for them otherwise in my opinion work placement should be provided by the university and help the students in the practical knowledge then in the final year project this Work placement could help them alot. As we struggled alot in fydp because we had no work placement in undergraduate studies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the central question and maintain a clear view that work placements bring more advantages than disadvantages. Your experience as a civil engineering graduate gives the argument a relevant personal basis, and you explain how practical exposure could help students understand their field and prepare for employment. You also acknowledge a possible drawback: placements may add to students’ already demanding schedules. However, the discussion focuses almost entirely on work placements, while the prompt also mentions studying abroad, and the benefits and time-related drawback are not developed equally. To strengthen the response, address both options explicitly and explain the disadvantage more fully, perhaps by considering how universities could manage students’ schedules.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an identifiable overall direction: it introduces your preference, explains the value of practical experience, considers a drawback, and returns to your conclusion. However, ideas are not clearly separated into paragraphs, and several points are joined in very long sentences. For example, the sentence beginning “They will better understand” moves from student learning to national benefits, graduate employment, and your conclusion without clear breaks. Linking expressions such as “so,” “because,” and “otherwise” are repeated or do not always show the relationship precisely. Use a separate paragraph for the main advantages and another for the disadvantage, and make each paragraph develop one central point with clear transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “practical knowledge,” “work placement,” “graduates,” and “final year project,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, particularly “work placement,” “practical,” and “students.” Some word choices and collocations are unnatural, such as “well in academics,” “better future for the country,” and “work placement should be provided … and help the students.” These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Build a wider set of topic-specific expressions and check how words combine naturally; for instance, describe graduates as “better prepared for employment” rather than “well experienced and also well in academics.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to express connected and complex ideas, including cause-and-effect relationships and a contrast between advantages and disadvantages. However, many sentences contain several clauses without reliable control of sentence boundaries, and errors in articles, verb forms, agreement, and punctuation can make the reader work to follow the meaning. Examples include “There no work placement officially from university,” “it might be challenging for them,” and the extended sentence beginning “They will better understand.” The opening also lacks clear sentence structure. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine related ideas using accurate conjunctions. Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation when editing, especially in long sentences.

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