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)

In accordance to my experience , I strongly believe that doing a work placement during undergradute course will definetly help the students to gain valuable insight and exposure of the job market. This not only give me them confidence in what they are persuaing but also devlops character over the course of time. At intial stage they might feel hectic and boring, but gaining knowledge with practical experience will definelty giva a boost to their careers. If a student get an opportunity to move abroad during the tenure of their course they should grab that chance to enhance their skill. This will provide them exposure to international markets as well. For example , I was doing MBA integrated ( BBA + MBA ) a 5 year course in International business and Marketing, there i got a shot of 3 months intership in a Japaenese MNC company named Nippon Express that deals in Freight Forwarding. Here i prioritized knowledge over finance for the time being. Yes this is a disadvantage that you get paid very minmal for the work you do but at the same time you gain knowledge that will be there forever. You get to know about your strengths and weakness basically it gives you an overall prespective of the career choosen. So I am in favour of the time spent in work placement or moving abroad.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you support including work placements or overseas study, and you explain benefits such as practical knowledge, confidence, career insight and international exposure. The personal example of your three-month placement at Nippon Express helps make the argument relevant, and you acknowledge a disadvantage—low pay—before explaining why the learning outweighs it. However, the response develops work placement much more than studying abroad, and the disadvantage is only briefly considered. The task also requires at least 250 words; the response is 22 words short, which limits the opportunity to develop and support your comparison. To strengthen the response, explain more fully how placements or overseas study benefit different students and address further costs or practical difficulties.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a generally understandable sequence: it introduces your view, gives reasons, presents a personal example, acknowledges low pay and concludes in favour. However, it is presented as one continuous paragraph, so the reader cannot easily distinguish the main argument, example and conclusion. Some links are also abrupt: “If a student get an opportunity to move abroad” shifts from placements to overseas study without explaining the connection, while “Yes this is a disadvantage” refers back to low pay rather loosely. Use separate paragraphs for the position and reasons, the example and counterargument, and the conclusion. Clearer transitions and references would make the progression easier to follow and less dependent on simple linking phrases such as “but” and “so.”

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “practical experience,” “international markets,” “strengths and weakness,” and “career.” These choices communicate your main ideas, and the example includes useful field-specific language such as “Freight Forwarding.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “undergradute,” “definetly,” “persuaing,” “devlops,” and “prespective.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “a shot of 3 months intership” and “paid very minmal for the work you do.” Aim for accurate collocations such as “a three-month internship” and “receive very little pay.” A wider, more precise range for discussing costs, employability and cultural learning would help you express the comparison more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including the contrast in “At intial stage they might feel hectic and boring, but…” and the conditional structure “If a student get an opportunity…”. The overall meaning is usually clear, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “This not only give me them confidence” has problems with subject–verb agreement and pronoun placement; “If a student get” should use the correct verb form; and “a 5 year course” needs a hyphenated compound modifier. There are also issues with articles and sentence boundaries, particularly in the long sentence introducing your MBA and internship. Review agreement, articles and punctuation, and divide long sentences where needed. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make your reasoning easier to follow.

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