Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 university life plays an important role in the life professional life of students. So, it is argued that all university undergraduate programs should include a period of time for studying abroad or for doing a work placement. From my perspective, both are important and has different benefits.

To begin with, by including a time in undergraduate programs for studying in other nation give exposure to students to face different cultures and their living styles, which develope numerous skills in their character. To illustrate my point, one of my friends was very introvert when he moved to US for his bachelors he experienced different challenges and he has to talk with people with time he became extrovert and also learn bargainning skills.

Moreover, by including internship in study courses helps students to gain work experience which is very beneficial for their professional life. For instance, my cousin done a machenical intership in his university, as he completed his degree he offered a job, and now he is getting enough pay to live his life easily.

In conclusion, in my view, by including a period of time for studying abroad or doing work placement in univerisity programs helped students to improve their personality and gain working experience which is helpful in getting employment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear overall view that both overseas study and work placements are beneficial, and you include relevant examples about your friend and cousin. However, the question asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you do not explicitly compare the two sides or explain whether any disadvantages are outweighed. The examples are also brief: the friend’s experience illustrates personal development, while the cousin’s story suggests employment benefits, but neither is developed with much explanation. The response is 212 words, below the required 250, so there is limited space to address the task fully. State your position directly and develop at least one advantage and one disadvantage with specific reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate benefits, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the sequence. The examples are placed alongside the relevant points, which supports the basic progression. However, the organisation does not fully match the comparison required by the question: there is no paragraph or clear transition addressing disadvantages, and the conclusion mainly repeats the benefits rather than resolving the outweigh question. Some links within sentences are also awkward, particularly in the friend example, where several events run together. Use clearer sentence boundaries and connect each paragraph explicitly to your overall judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “exposure,” “different cultures,” “work experience,” and “professional life.” These choices make your main ideas understandable, and you attempt more specific terms such as “introvert” and “bargaining skills.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “develope,” “bargainning,” “machenical,” and “intership.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “living styles,” “enough pay to live his life easily,” and “university life plays an important role in the life professional life.” Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling carefully; more precise phrasing will make your examples sound clearer and more academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “when” and “as,” and the overall meaning is generally recoverable. However, there are several errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “both are important and has” should use a plural verb, while “by including a time … give exposure” lacks a clear grammatical subject. In “my cousin done … as he completed his degree he offered a job,” the verb forms and clause structure make the relationship difficult to follow. The friend example also joins several independent ideas without clear punctuation. Practise building complete clauses and checking subject–verb agreement and tense consistency, especially in longer sentences.

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