Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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)

Bachelors, Diploma must include one semester where students should get real-time experience or they should go study in other countries. There are multiple benefits which a student can get out of this. In this essay I will discuss both benefits and drawbacks of doing an internship or using facilities and education given by top tier universities.

On the one hand, there are some barriers which can intrude the decision of getting a chance to study outside of country or get a chance in to work in a company. Firstly, financial condition of a student's family matters the most in such crucial time. Secondly, it's not easy to get such opportunity if students does have the required grades or necessary skills. For example even if a student has the best overall GPA in his batch but the funds requirements are hard to met for his/her family. Hence, it is not that easy to get opportunities like these.

On the other hand, there are various benefits of getting real-time experience. Nowadays, practical skills are getting more priority than book knowledge in corporate world. Large companies and organisations need to ensure that the person whom hiring hands-on skills required for the execution of the vital task given to their employees. For instance recently two of my friends completed their engineering in computer science and the one who decided to do an internship in United States got an high value per annum package than the other one even though he had better grades compare to the first one. Hence, to survive in real world it is great to have practical knowledge which is gained with the help of time spent in a work placement.

In conclusion, overcoming the financial barriers or bad performance throughtout the degree and students get an work placement or spend a period of time abroad for studying gets many advantages before starting their carrer .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the central question by presenting disadvantages, then arguing that practical experience brings greater benefits. The comparison between your friends’ outcomes gives the position a relevant example, and the conclusion restates the overall preference. However, the response does not fully develop the “studying abroad” option: the discussion focuses mainly on internships and employment, while the opening mentions overseas study without explaining its distinct benefits. The disadvantages are also somewhat narrow, concentrating on finances and eligibility, and the conclusion’s reference to “bad performance” is not clearly connected to the argument. To strengthen the response, state explicitly whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and develop both routes with specific, balanced reasons and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on barriers, a paragraph on benefits, and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the contrast, while “For example” introduces supporting evidence. This makes the main line of argument easy to follow. Some connections are nevertheless mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “Hence,” and the conclusion’s opening phrase, “overcoming the financial barriers or bad performance,” does not clearly link to the position being summarised. The first paragraph also groups study abroad and work placement together, but the body develops mostly the latter. Use more precise referencing and transitions, and ensure each paragraph’s focus follows clearly from the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “practical skills,” “corporate world,” “work placement,” and “financial barriers.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and attempts such as “hands-on skills” show an effort to use more specific language. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “real-time experience,” “funds requirements,” “high value per annum package,” and “survive in real world.” There are also spelling and word-form errors, including “throughtout” and “carrer.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Prefer established academic collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully; for example, distinguish “work experience” from “real-time experience.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including conditional and subordinate clauses, as in “even if a student has the best overall GPA…” and “which is gained with the help of time spent in a work placement.” The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but errors occur across sentence structures and often make the phrasing difficult to read. Examples include “if students does have,” “the person whom hiring,” “an high value,” and the final sentence, where the subject and verb structure are unclear. Articles, agreement, and clause construction need particular attention. Practise building accurate sentences before adding complexity, and proofread each clause for a clear subject, correctly conjugated verb, and appropriate article.

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