Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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)

Studying abroad or doing a work placement should be included in all courses of undergraduates in the university because this let students experience growth , build connections , employment opportunities and much more. Although, some disadvantages are there such as affordibility , placement issues and extended semester but advantages of this outweigh the disvantages.

Studying abroad or doing a work placement can bring a lot of opportunities for students of undergraduautes in university. One of the advantage is growth , by moving out of their comfort zone, students will experience change of environment that can bring out the potential in them. Students will learn the independency this way. Another advantage is employment opportunities. Students who are doing a work placement will get abroad work experience that can offers good employment in both their hometown and abroad. However, students would need to proof their worth and work really hard.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages too. One of the disadvantage is extended semester. If university introduces studying abroad or doing work placement, they would need to add this as in extra semester. This can affect some students because not everyone can afford extra fees for an extra semester. Another disadvantages is many students can't afford living abroad. Abroad process is really expensive.

In conclusion, Universities courses should definetly introduce a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement as student can experience growth , employment opportunities and independency. Although, disadvantages are there but advantages outweigh it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear answer: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you discuss both sides. Relevant points include personal growth, employment prospects, extra fees and the cost of living abroad. However, several ideas are asserted rather than explained: for example, you say overseas work experience can lead to employment at home or abroad, but do not show how or give a specific example. The discussion of placement issues in the introduction is not developed later, and the conclusion mostly repeats the opening. The response is also 238 words, below the required 250; the 12 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop your main reasons with explanation or an example, and address the placement issue if you introduce it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph for advantages, a paragraph for disadvantages and a conclusion. The contrast between the two main body paragraphs is easy to follow, and phrases such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is limited: points are listed, then moved on from before their links or implications are fully explained. The repeated “Another advantage/disadvantage” pattern also makes the organisation feel mechanical, while “Although” is used awkwardly at the start of the introduction and conclusion. Build clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and use referencing or transitions more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “work placement,” “employment opportunities,” “comfort zone” and “extra fees.” However, the range is limited and some word choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes parts of the response less natural. Examples include “experience the independency,” “proof their worth,” “abroad work experience” and “Abroad process.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “affordibility,” “disvantages,” “undergraduautes” and “definetly.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding your position, but they reduce precision and fluency. Learn common collocations for education and employment, and proofread spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “If university introduces… they would need to add this…” and a reason clause beginning “because.” The main message is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence construction recur. For example, “this let students” should use a matching verb form, “One of the advantage” needs a plural noun, and “can offers” has an incorrect verb form. The opening “Although” clauses are also incomplete or awkwardly attached to the following ideas. Use a wider range of sentence patterns while checking subject–verb agreement, articles and clause boundaries; accurate control of these basics will make your argument clearer.

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

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