Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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 has been observed that student like to do study abroad.Nowadays, some people believe that all university students should spend some time studying abroad or doing work placement. I believe that the advantages of this idea outweight the disadvantages because students can gain practical experience and improve their future career opportunities.I find the given notion logically sound and my views regarding the statement greater extent. I highlight these points in subsequent paragraph, which will lead to a logical conclusion.

On the one hand, there are several advantages to this approach. Firstly, studend can gain practical knowledge and work experience. To elaborate it, students can learn new skills and different culture while doing study or job in abroad. For instance, a survey conducted by the global organisation in 2023 revealed 70% students.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages, the main problem is students study or work abroad extra burden for pay accomodation, transportation, and food. Furthermore, some students find it difficult to stay away from their families.

To conclude the discussion, it can be said despite the fact that studying abroad or doing work placement challenging. I believe that students gain knowledge new skills, career opportunities for their future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is stated clearly in the introduction: you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you mention practical experience and career opportunities. You also address both sides, with relevant points about costs and separation from family. However, the response only partially develops the task: the benefits are asserted rather than explained in detail, and the example about a 2023 survey ends without saying what it found or how it supports your argument. The conclusion repeats your view but does not weigh the two sides convincingly. The response is 50 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to develop reasons and examples. Explain how overseas study or placements build specific skills, and support each main point with a complete example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, paragraphs presenting advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. The signposts “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the broad direction. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven. The first paragraph includes several overlapping statements of your position, while the advantage paragraph moves from a general claim to an incomplete survey reference. Some linking phrases sound mechanical, and the relationship between ideas is not always clear—for example, “To elaborate it” does not lead into a fully explained point. Use one clear topic sentence per paragraph, then develop it with explanation and a complete example. This would make the organisation more purposeful and the connections between claims easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “practical experience,” “career opportunities,” “accommodation,” and “transportation.” These choices show that you can communicate the main subject and distinguish benefits from costs. However, the range is limited, and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make parts less natural or less clear. Examples include “outweight,” “study in abroad,” “extra burden for pay,” and “different culture.” Some phrases, such as “the given notion logically sound,” are also awkward for expressing an opinion. Build a more precise set of expressions for skills, employment, and expenses, and check spelling and natural word combinations. This will help you express the relevant ideas more clearly and flexibly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast structure in “despite the fact that studying abroad or doing work placement challenging.” The response also uses clauses beginning with “because” and “while,” showing some effort to vary sentence patterns. However, complex attempts are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “student like to do study abroad” and “students study or work abroad extra burden” lack the grammatical structure needed to express the intended ideas. The conclusion also needs a complete clause after “despite the fact that.” Practise building accurate subject–verb–object sentences first, then add subordinate clauses and check that each sentence has a complete main clause.

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.