Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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)

Over the recent years, this topic of discussion is highly debated in the society. This plays a significant role in the education sector affecting both individuals and communities. In this essay, I will examine the advantages and disadvantages of the statement and discuss their implications for the society.

One of the key benefits of studying abroad while doing undergraduate degree is to gain exposure and knowledge of the other cultures and their way of living. It is evident of the fact that, if a student include a period of time studying abroad, it will eventually increase his way of thinking and boost up his confidence. Another compelling reason for the benefits of this is, networking. For instance, an individual who will work with the foreigners will have more connections and will get to explore more about the field through collaborative efforts. Moreover, if he finds someone who is related to his field and career, they can work together on some research project and develop something innovative for the betterment of the nation. Studying abroad during the degree can also help students learn state of the art technologies and then applying these techniques to their field for practicality.

However, it has some noteable drawback which can not be ignored anyway. Studying abroad is expensive and not everyone can afford them so for, this reason many students lack this opportunity and remain at back from other peers. For this purpose, Government should provide funding for the efficient students and also bring fully funded opportunities to the country so, that students can get benefit from them. Another drawback is the lack of counselling, many students do not even know that feild work is so important and crucial for their future even more than their grades and they do not consider this much serious and instead of gaining skills and doing the practical work they chose to burn midnight oil for the better marks. Later after their graduation, when they get in the professional life, they regret their decisions but often then there is no benefit to cry over spilt milk.

In conclusion, I belive that studying abroad during undergraduate presents several pressing problems but also viable solutions that should be seriously considered.Moving forward, it is possible to detect the root cause of the problem and then provide effective measures for the betterment of the individuals and society as a whole.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss relevant advantages, including cultural exposure, confidence, networking and practical skills, and disadvantages such as cost and limited counselling. However, the task asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and your position is not clearly established or maintained. The conclusion says the proposal presents “several pressing problems but also viable solutions,” which does not directly compare the two sides or state which outweighs the other. Some points are also under-developed: for example, the claim that students may regret prioritising grades is not clearly connected to making overseas study or placements compulsory. State your judgement explicitly in the introduction and conclusion, then explain why the benefits or drawbacks are more significant, using focused examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. Ideas within the benefits paragraph generally progress from cultural learning to networking and technology, and linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “For instance” help signal relationships. However, some transitions feel mechanical or do not express the intended connection clearly, as in “For this purpose” before the funding suggestion. The conclusion introduces “root cause” and “effective measures” without these being established as the essay’s central focus, weakening the overall progression. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly “this” in the opening and “them” in the cost discussion. Make the position the organising thread and use more precise links between claims and examples.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “collaborative efforts,” “innovative,” “fully funded opportunities” and “professional life.” These choices help communicate ideas about education and employment, and some less common expressions show an attempt to vary your language. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “remain at back from other peers,” “boost up his confidence” and “state of the art technologies.” There are also spelling errors, including “noteable,” “feild” and “belive.” These do not usually prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and polish. Review common academic collocations and spelling, and prefer direct phrasing over idioms such as “burn midnight oil” when a more formal expression would be clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures (“if a student include a period of time…”) and longer sentences explaining consequences. Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Subject–verb agreement is inaccurate in “a student include” and “they chose,” while articles and sentence construction need attention in “while doing undergraduate degree.” There are also problems with sentence boundaries and punctuation: the final sentence runs directly into “Moving forward,” and several commas interrupt clauses, as in “so, that students can get benefit.” These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas less clear. Practise checking agreement, articles and clause boundaries, and divide long sentences where necessary while retaining a mix of structures.

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