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)

In many parts of the world, it is a never ending debate that undergraduate courses in all universities should offer a period of time studying abroad or make students doing a work placement. Although it has both pros and cons, I believe that advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

While it has many advantages. Firstly, students can get practical knowledge by studying abroad or doing a work placement because these opportunities provide hands on experience to solve real-world problems.

Secondly, students can get a chance to work with professionals and apply their knowledge into practical projects which enhance their problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and personality.

In addition, it raises the university's reputation as many skilled students graduate from these universities which offer these opportunities.

On the other hand, studying abroad or doing work placements for all undergraduate courses can be time-consuming which extends the time period of an undergraduate program results in delayed degrees.

Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to arrange work placements for every student and also it is difficult to manage as no organization hire much internees.

In addition, offering a period of time in courses to study abroad can be very costly for the university and management

In conclusion, although these opportunities are burden on university, advantages of these opportunities outweigh their disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear position in the introduction and conclusion: the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The response addresses both sides, with relevant points about practical experience, professional collaboration, delayed graduation, placement availability and cost. However, several ideas are asserted rather than explained—for example, the claim that these opportunities improve a university’s reputation is not supported with an example or a clear link to the main argument. The discussion of costs and placement capacity is also brief. The response is 214 words, below the required 250, so there is limited space to develop and support your points. Add specific examples and explain why the benefits are more significant than the drawbacks.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, advantages, disadvantages and a conclusion. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help identify the stages of the argument. However, the repeated use of “In addition” and the list-like presentation make the progression somewhat mechanical. The opening of the advantages paragraph, “While it has many advantages,” is an incomplete sentence and interrupts the flow. Some points would connect more clearly if you explained how each example supports your overall view, rather than moving directly from one claim to the next. Use fewer formulaic transitions and build clearer links between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “hands on experience,” “real-world problems,” “critical thinking” and “delayed degrees.” These phrases help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “apply their knowledge into practical projects,” “much internees” and “burden on university.” “Personality” is also imprecise in the context of skills gained through work or study. These issues limit the naturalness and precision of the vocabulary, even though they do not prevent the reader from following the argument. Aim to learn common word partnerships and choose terms that express the intended idea precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a concession in “Although it has both pros and cons” and a reason clause beginning “because.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but errors in sentence construction, agreement and articles recur. For example, “While it has many advantages” is a fragment, while “no organization hire” needs a singular verb form. The phrase “which extends the time period … results in delayed degrees” also lacks a clear grammatical connection between its clauses. There are some punctuation and sentence-boundary problems as well. To improve, check that every sentence has a complete main clause, and review subject–verb agreement and article use when editing.

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