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)

Some people think university students should study in another country or work in another company.in my opinion,I believe that they should do part-time job with their studies, Because with that they should gain experience and as well as knowlodge.There are several advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or doing a work replacement.We will discuss both.At the first, We will discuss advantages of studying abroad and doing a work placement.

Students can gain practical experience by working in different companies,They learn new skills,Make new friends,They get better job opportunities,becoming independent,learning about new cultures.Now we will discuss some of disadvantages of studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Studying abroad can be very expensive then studying in your own country.Students have pay for travel,groceries,food and accomodation.This can create financial problems for them as well as for their parents.They have less time for their studies.Students who do part-time work may have less time to focus on their studies. As a result, their academic performance may suffer.Some students may feel lonely living far away from their families, this situation may can harm their health and studies.Some of them may find difficulty to adopt a new environment, language, work place and culture.This make their experience stressful.

in conclusion, although studying abroad or doing work placement can be expensive and may reduce the time available for studies, I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This is because students can gain practical experience, develope new skill and find best and better job opportunities in thr future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the topic by discussing benefits and drawbacks, and your conclusion clearly states that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Relevant points include gaining practical experience, improving job prospects, facing costs, and having less time to study. However, the response only partly answers the specific proposal that all undergraduate courses should include a period abroad or a work placement: the opening shifts to doing a part-time job alongside studies, and the discussion does not explain why this should be compulsory for every student. Most points are listed rather than developed with reasons or examples. To strengthen the response, keep the focus on the proposed course requirement and explain a few key ideas in more depth, including why the benefits outweigh the costs and academic pressures.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a discussion of advantages, a discussion of disadvantages, and a conclusion. The reader can follow the broad contrast, and phrases such as “Now we will discuss” signal a change of focus. However, progression is often mechanical, and the advantages are presented as a list rather than as connected explanations. The opening also moves between studying abroad, work placements, and part-time work, which makes the line of argument less clear. Some ideas run together without effective sentence boundaries, while the conclusion repeats points without drawing them together. Use clear paragraphs for each main idea, link each claim to its explanation, and use referencing and transitions more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “practical experience,” “job opportunities,” “financial problems,” and “new cultures.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or awkward, which sometimes makes the reader pause. For example, “work replacement” does not express the intended idea, and “find difficulty to adopt” is not a natural collocation. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “knowlodge,” “accomodation,” and “develope.” These issues fit a response with basic but relevant vocabulary and uneven control. Build a more precise set of phrases for placements, costs, adaptation, and career benefits, and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including a cause-and-effect structure in “As a result, their academic performance may suffer.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently across sentence boundaries, verb forms, agreement, and punctuation. Examples include “Students have pay,” “This make their experience stressful,” and “this situation may can harm their health.” Several ideas are joined with commas or run together, as in the opening, making sentence relationships harder to follow. Capitalisation is also inconsistent. Practise building accurate sentences with one main clause and a subordinate clause, and check verb forms and sentence boundaries carefully. Greater control of these basic patterns would make your argument easier to read.

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