Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

In recents times people often argues that all the university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement has become a widespread phenomenal while this development brings certain drawback. I firmly believe that merits outweighs its downsides although this requirement may create some financial and practical difficulties.

On the one hand the main benefits of studying or working abroad is that students can gain practical knowledge and develop skills that cannot be acquired in a classroom. For instance work placement allows students to gain communication with their colleague and solve problem. However these opportunities can be expensive. Accommodation, transportation and living cost these problems may create financial problem especially for low income source students. some students may also have some personal responsibility towards family so that can prevent them from travelling.

On the other hand university can provide scholarships and offer local internships as alternatives. This would ensure that students receive practical experience without facing excessive financial pressure. Studying abroad helps them to understand different culture, people, places and society and become more independent. They learn team work and problem solving which can improve their career growth and future.

In conclusion, despite the noticeable drawback all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement associated with the overall advantages for more impact full it is highly recommended that students improve their skills, confidence, career prospects and communication skills. Moreover university can provide internships and scholarships to students for reducing their financial burden and responsibility.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you address both benefits and drawbacks. Practical learning, communication, cultural understanding, independence, and financial barriers are relevant points. However, several ideas are only briefly stated: for example, you mention that placements develop communication and problem-solving but do not explain how these experiences benefit students later. The conclusion also becomes unclear when it says the requirement is “associated with the overall advantages for more impact full.” The response is 226 words, so it does not meet the 250-word minimum; the 35 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop your examples and explain more directly why the benefits outweigh the costs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the contrast between benefits and drawbacks gives it some overall organisation. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help signal the structure. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: the first body paragraph moves from practical skills to costs and family responsibilities, while the second combines alternatives, cultural learning and career benefits without clearly connecting them. Some references are also unclear, as in “so that can prevent them from travelling.” Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s focus, and connect each supporting point explicitly to your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “work placement,” “practical knowledge,” “financial pressure,” “scholarships” and “career prospects.” These choices make the main subject clear. However, noticeable word-choice, collocation and word-form errors sometimes make the writing awkward or less precise, such as “widespread phenomenal,” “gain communication with their colleague,” “low income source students” and “more impact full.” Some vocabulary is also repeated, particularly “skills” and “students.” Aim to learn common word partnerships and check the form of each word before using it. More precise expressions would help you communicate your ideas smoothly and make better use of the topic vocabulary you already have.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a concession in the introduction (“although this requirement may create…”) and a conditional structure (“This would ensure…”). However, errors are frequent, and some complex sentences are difficult to interpret. For example, “all the university undergraduate courses should include… has become” combines incompatible sentence structures, while “the main benefits… is” has a subject–verb agreement error. Missing or incorrect articles and plurals also appear in “different culture” and “their colleague.” Punctuation and sentence boundaries need attention, particularly the lowercase start of “some students” after a full stop and the long, unclear final sentence. Practise building accurate sentences before adding more complex clauses.

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

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