Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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)

Whether the undergraduate courses which include the courses that spent time to studying abroad is highly discussion based.

The gap between academic theory and practical applications can be fulfilled by studying courses which are based upon skills. Students which are graduate with skills, professional network and cv makes strong candidates for competitative job market. Studying abroad developed multiculture personality with strong communication skills and economic growth of advantage. This pathway student comes out of comfort zone and develop independent problem solving abilities. Communication with other worldover students by sharing ideas, knowledge and experience.

Taking abroad study or low paid internships leads to financial stress for the students and their family. Sometimes students take loan for their studies which settle with abroad on student visa to do work. But lack of work causes fianancail problems. Health is also one of the biggest circumstances while stuyding abroad without any support. Sometimes chronic illness leads to some major damage. Mathematics, philosphy and highly equipted sciences laboratories required a proper skills and knowledge.

In conclusion intergrated studying abroad programs and work placement can enhance the value of undergraduate students to leads in job market through skills and practical experience. Many universities started such short term program to acheive high skilled students. These induction programs provide a gateway for talented students to get skilled experience all over the world. This type of program take parallel the development and economic growth of countries after studying abroad. Overall its highly beneficial to studying through other world mentors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the central question and takes a generally positive position, especially in the conclusion: integrated study or placements can improve students’ skills and job prospects. It also recognises disadvantages, including financial pressure and health concerns, so both sides are present. However, the position is not clearly stated at the outset, and the comparison of whether advantages outweigh disadvantages remains implicit rather than being directly argued. Several points are only briefly mentioned—for example, the claims about communication, economic growth, and illness are not supported with specific explanations or examples. To strengthen the response, state your view clearly in the introduction and develop a few relevant points with concrete examples and a direct comparison of their importance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic overall structure: an opening, a paragraph on benefits, one on drawbacks, and a conclusion. This helps the reader identify the broad direction of the response. However, progression within paragraphs is often unclear because ideas are placed next to one another without explaining their relationship. For instance, the benefits paragraph moves from practical skills to multicultural experience, then to communication, without showing how each supports the argument. The conclusion introduces further claims about universities and national economic growth rather than drawing together the main comparison. Linking is also limited, and references such as “This pathway” are not always clear. Organise each paragraph around one main point, explain it, and use linking phrases to show cause, contrast, and consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response attempts topic-related vocabulary, including “academic theory,” “practical experience,” “professional network,” and “financial stress.” These choices show an effort to discuss education and employment beyond very basic terms. However, the range is limited and many word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “highly discussion based,” “economic growth of advantage,” “settle with abroad,” and “take parallel the development.” Spelling errors such as “competitative,” “fianancail,” and “acheive” also reduce clarity. Build a reliable set of phrases for discussing benefits and drawbacks, and check whether words naturally combine—for example, “gain practical experience” rather than “get skilled experience.” Proofreading spelling and word forms would make your ideas easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response includes some attempts at longer structures, such as “Sometimes students take loan for their studies which settle with abroad on student visa to do work,” but these are often difficult to interpret. Many sentences have problems with clause structure, agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “Students which are graduate” needs a correctly formed relative clause, while “This pathway student comes out of comfort zone and develop” has unclear sentence structure and inconsistent agreement. Several fragments, including “Communication with other worldover students by sharing ideas, knowledge and experience,” lack a complete main clause. Most sentences therefore do not show secure control, and errors can obstruct meaning. Practise writing clear subject–verb sentences first, then add subordinate clauses, checking that each sentence has a complete clause and consistent verb forms.

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.