Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-16

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)

The statement that all the Bachelor's students should at least take a semester out of their country or doing an internship outweigh the advantages over the disadvantages.

Students should spent a semester abroad at their undergraduate level. If the students have the chance to study abroad, they develop a skill of independent studying. They spent all of their four years stuck with the same curriculm and environment of their university. Students will be able to search about their university where they want to study. Students will go through the process of how the applications work, which help in future if they are planning to study further for their Masters degree from abroad. For instance, A statement by harvard university, that every year applications recieved for masters outnumber bachelor's applications.

Students should've have the chance to apply for internship at their undergraduate level. It will give the students the opportunity to knows how the market works if that's where they are planning to move for their job. And it also give them practical exposure to the real world implementation of their studies into the site.

I would like to addup my experience here, I am a graduate student, I believe if i could have a option of an internship or take a semester into abroad. My life two years will not be wasted. After my graduation, i was not even able to get an internship from abroad. I believe if i have work a experience from their home country, i will get that internship.

Now after spending two years on seeking from internships. I am now applying to Master's. The huge gape i see is not having enough exposure to the abroad.

To conclude, all university undergraduate courses should be included a semester abroad or a work placement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both study abroad and work placements, and your position is that these opportunities are beneficial. The personal account of struggling to obtain an overseas internship gives the response a relevant example. However, the comparison required by “outweigh the disadvantages” is not fully developed: disadvantages are not discussed, and the opening sentence is unclear about whether advantages outweigh them. Several points, such as developing independent study skills and learning how applications work, are relevant but need fuller explanation of their benefits and connection to the overall judgement. State your position directly, acknowledge a possible drawback, and explain why the benefits are more significant.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from study abroad to internships, personal experience and a conclusion. This gives the reader some organisation, and examples are generally placed with the relevant point. However, progression between ideas is not always clear: the Harvard applications example is only loosely connected to the claim about learning application processes, while the shift from internship experience to applying for a master’s needs a clearer link. Cohesive phrases such as “And it also” and “Now after” are repetitive or awkward, and the conclusion mainly repeats the proposal rather than summarising the argument. Use clearer topic sentences and transitions that show cause, contrast and consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “independent studying,” “practical exposure,” “work placement” and “Masters degree.” These choices help communicate the main subject and show an attempt to discuss education and employment beyond very basic terms. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making meaning less clear: “the huge gape” appears to mean a major gap, and “addup my experience” is not a natural expression. Spelling errors such as “curriculm,” “recieved” and “gape” also affect accuracy. Build a more precise range of collocations for academic and professional benefits, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with subordinate clauses, for example, “If the students have the chance to study abroad, they develop…” This shows some variety, but control is inconsistent, and errors occur frequently enough to make parts of the response difficult to follow. Examples include “Students should spent,” “which help,” “it also give,” and “I believe if i have work a experience.” There are also problems with articles, verb forms, agreement and sentence construction, as in “should've have the chance.” Practise building accurate sentences around one main clause, then add a subordinate clause only when its grammar is secure. Check subject–verb agreement and tense consistency during revision.

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