Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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)

It is said that every university undergraduate courses ought to include a period of time to study abroad or to do a trainee in their intended work field. If all unversities start adding additional time on spent studying in a foreign country or train in the work placement, undergraduate students will be more prone to experience more practical lessons, as they will be free to research further independently. However, due to stiff education structuring this is only available in only few universities. This essay will explain both sides before giving my opinion as a conclusion.

One of the main advantage of undergraduate students taking a period of time to study abroad and to do a work placement is that it trully offers flexible studying schedules for students. Moreover, it would allow them to explore their majors and future careers before the senior year graduation, making them more experienced than ever. If the educational instutions regulate considerable amount of time dedicated for students to achieve that, the students who came back from the practical environment can share ideas and innovations to their peers.

However, due to the stiff educating programmes, it is not feasible for many students to get such opportunities. Notwithstanding such brilliant chance, heavy school loads, many assignments from their professors may hinder their motivation of doing so. Furthermore, another disadvantage of this idea is universities often have strict policies for their students. For instance, a student who had studied in Oyunii ireedui university, can't study abroad because of their agreement.

In conclusion, although it may be difficult for students to study abroad because of their universities' strict rules, I reckon studying or working outside of their current universities should be allowed since it is crossing the right of the students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both the potential benefits and drawbacks, and your conclusion gives a position: you believe students should be allowed to study or work elsewhere. However, the response only partially answers the key question of whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The benefits—career exploration and sharing ideas with peers—are relevant, but the claim that placements offer “flexible studying schedules” is not clearly explained. The disadvantages focus mainly on workload and university rules, with the example of Oyunii Ireedui University left unexplained. Develop each point with a clear cause-and-effect explanation, and make your final judgement explicitly compare the overall benefits with the costs rather than focusing only on students’ right to participate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “Moreover,” “However,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the shift between sections. The main limitation is that some links are mechanical or do not show the relationship between ideas precisely. For example, “However, due to the stiff educating programmes” repeats an earlier point without clearly connecting it to the workload argument, while “Notwithstanding such brilliant chance” makes the contrast difficult to follow. The conclusion also moves from strict rules to students’ rights without fully tying this back to the comparison in the question. Use clearer transitions and connect each example directly to its paragraph’s main claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “practical environment,” “future careers,” “innovations,” and “strict policies,” and the general meaning is usually understandable. There are also noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, word form, and spelling that make some phrases awkward or unclear. For instance, “do a trainee” is not a natural expression, “stiff education structuring” is imprecise, and “crossing the right of the students” does not convey the intended idea clearly. Spelling errors such as “unversities,” “trully,” and “instutions” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations of words and check spelling; this will make your ideas easier to understand and allow your vocabulary range to work more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “If the educational instutions regulate…” and a concessive opening in “although it may be difficult…”. However, some grammatical errors remain in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “every university undergraduate courses” has a mismatch between the singular determiner and plural noun, and “One of the main advantage” needs a plural noun. The phrase “students who came back” also shifts into the past tense without a clear reason, while “a student who had studied …, can't study” combines tenses awkwardly. Review agreement and tense consistency, and simplify sentences when a complex structure becomes difficult to control.

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