Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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)

Knowledge about aborad studies and work culture is an essential part of every student's life. Many critics contended that universities should organise a special period for abroad studies and job placements. I believe that the advantages of this trend outweigh its disadvantages for several reasons.

To begin with, discussions regarding abroad studies or job placements have significant effects for the students. To explain it, nowdays education is revolving everyday and every student wants an effective education to make a better career. Unfortunately, some students do not have any experience about foreign institutions. It become a barrier for their further studies, so it can be resolve by giving them some time to meet with study abroad consultants. Furthermore, it opens the whole world for them to study and give them a chance to settle their lives in develop countries. In addition to it, sessions for work placements can also give students a great opportunity for finding best job for them. When multinational companies will directly hire skilled workforce from universities, It can helps students to grow their career along with studies. For instance, the Trump Times, a famous newspaper of USA reported that Google hired around two thousand students from University of London and gave a chance to skilled students to grow their productivity and lifestyle with a handsome pay.

Despite its merits, drawbacks can never be ignored. Start a lecture between studies may creates harmful effects on studies. Sometimes long arguments and consultations waste the important time of students as agents create business for them never think about the studies of other students. Apart from that, students who does not want to study abroad think this totally unnecessary lecture for them so it creates frustrations among them.

To conclude, by considering its merits, it is evident that knowledge about abroad studies and work placements are a key for securing a better future. In my opinion, undergraduate universities should make a sight on these factors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you include relevant points about career opportunities, international study, and possible disruption to students’ studies. However, the response only partly addresses the specific proposal: it often discusses information sessions or consultations about studying abroad rather than requiring every undergraduate to spend time abroad or on a work placement. The benefits are therefore not always directly connected to the policy in the question. The Google example attempts to support your point, but its relevance and explanation are unclear. Develop the comparison more fully by explaining how a placement or overseas study period builds skills, and weigh those gains against costs, access, or interruption to study.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a paragraph on drawbacks, and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “To begin with,” “Furthermore,” and “To conclude” help signal the stages of your argument. Overall, the reader can follow your position. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, the move from students meeting consultants to settling in developed countries does not explain the relationship between those ideas, and the long sentence about multinational companies is difficult to follow. The drawbacks paragraph also shifts from interruptions to agents’ motives and then to students’ frustration. Group related points and use clearer references to the proposed study-abroad or placement period to create smoother progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “job placements,” “multinational companies,” “skilled workforce,” and “productivity.” These choices show an effort to discuss education and employment beyond very basic terms. However, inaccurate word choice, collocation, and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make the intended meaning less clear. Examples include “knowledge about aborad studies,” “discussions … have significant effects,” “make a sight on these factors,” and “a handsome pay.” Some expressions also do not fit the task’s focus: “lecture” and “consultations” suggest information sessions rather than a period of study or work experience. Aim for precise, natural phrases and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and attempts at longer, complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “so,” “when,” and “as.” This gives the response some structural variety. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction can make the reader pause. For example, “It become a barrier” and “it can be resolve” have incorrect verb forms; “students who does not want” has a subject–verb agreement error; and “When multinational companies will directly hire …, It can helps” combines an unsuitable tense with incorrect agreement. Practise building shorter, accurate sentences first, then extend them with one clear subordinate clause. Also check capitalization and punctuation at sentence boundaries.

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