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 believed that the universities syllabus should have a separate credit hour for international internships included in it. Yes, I think that the advantages would outweigh the disadvantages because of the exposure of the students in the outside world.

Students getting placement in the abroad allows them to understand better about the different work cultures, eventually helping them to enhance their career. For example: In Nepal, there are few colleges affiliated to international university allowing their students to move abroad for certain period of time to learn certain skills. This is especially seen in the hotel management courses, sending off to another country like Dubai to get a training on special fields like culinary arts and kitchen operations, housekeeping and front office and guest operations. Therefore, this helps to learn about the foreign work ethics, handling the international guests, and different traditions and norms that are being followed there.

Meanwhile, the high fees to enroll in such work placement can be one of the major hinderance for those who cannot afford. So, the poor ones may not be able to take this opportunity if its compulsion and can feel they are pushed behind in their life.

Although, the mandatory of including the time spent studying oversees may not be fair to all peoples, it's excellent to those who can be benefitted. Hence, in my opinion there are more advantages than the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you give a relevant example from hotel-management training in Nepal. You also acknowledge a genuine disadvantage—the cost may exclude students who cannot afford a placement. However, the response addresses the task only partially because it focuses almost entirely on work placements and says little about studying abroad as a separate option. The benefits are mainly listed rather than fully explained, and the financial concern is not balanced with possible ways to address it. The response is also 17 words below the required minimum, leaving limited space to develop your reasoning. Explain how these experiences improve students’ skills or prospects, and extend the discussion of who bears the costs and how they might be reduced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction states your view, the next paragraph gives benefits and an example, and the final paragraphs introduce a drawback and restate your position. This makes the main line of argument understandable. However, progression is limited because the benefits and example are packed into one long paragraph, while the disadvantage receives little development. Some linking is mechanical or awkward: “Meanwhile” introduces the cost point, and “Although” begins a sentence that does not form a complete contrast. The example’s details also make it harder to follow the central argument. Use clearer paragraphing for benefits and drawbacks, and connect each example explicitly to your claim about the overall balance.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “work cultures,” “work ethics,” “culinary arts,” and “international guests,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “advantages would outweigh the disadvantages.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or unnatural, including “universities syllabus,” “placement in the abroad,” “major hinderance,” and “the mandatory of including.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Some wording is also repetitive, particularly the repeated references to learning and benefits. Build a more reliable range of phrases for education, placements, costs, and career development, and check spelling and word forms before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause with “because” and a contrast introduced by “Although.” The main position and most key points remain understandable. However, the range is limited, and attempts at longer structures are often faulty. For example, “Although, the mandatory of including the time spent studying oversees may not be fair to all peoples, it's excellent to those who can be benefitted” has problems with clause structure and agreement, while “Students getting placement in the abroad allows them” has a mismatch between the subject and verb. Article use, plurals, and punctuation also need attention. Practise building accurate complex sentences, and proofread each sentence for a clear subject, verb, and complete clause.

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