Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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)

Universities should include a specific period of time for students to study abroad or atleast make a requirement to do an internship because the work experience really counts when it comes to getting a job. Thus, the advantages are far greater than the disadvantages.

In terms of advantages, studying abroad gives an exposure and several challenges to the number of students which gradually helps them in their career. Therefore, getting out from a comfort zone is a huge success for a student. For instance, I know some students who froze their courses and went abroad just for an exposure and minor work experience. That exposure completely changes the mindset and eventually they started performing better in their studies. In contrast, a student can get a bad influence from people when studying abroad, this is a huge disadvantage. For example, a younger student can get into bad stuff like going to parties instead of studying and eventually get a drug addict.

In my opinion, a part time work should be mandatory in some courses. This gives students a huge boost in their career. There are many work related stuff that a student can do online or remotely, such as an online certification. If a student is pursing a tech career, freelancing is the most popular activity a student can perform and universities should accept this as a work placement. Let's take an example of me, I'm a software engineer and i did too many freelancing during my undergraduate degree and that helped me secure a job instantly after graduating.

To conclude, universities should not give an undergraduate degree to a student unless a student gets a work certification or an internship for atleast 3 months. So yes, I do think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both study abroad and work experience. The examples about students gaining confidence and your own freelancing experience make the response relevant and personal. However, some points are less fully developed than others. The disadvantage of a student becoming involved in parties or drugs is asserted rather than explained, and the discussion shifts from the required study-abroad/work-placement period to part-time work and online certification. Clarify how these alternatives meet the task’s requirement, and explain the practical benefits and drawbacks more evenly. The conclusion is definite, but requiring a three-month placement is a new detail that would be stronger if justified in the main argument.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate discussion of advantages and disadvantages, a paragraph on work experience, and a conclusion. The overall position is easy to follow, and examples generally appear alongside the points they support. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt. For example, “In contrast” introduces a disadvantage, but the paragraph moves quickly from exposure and confidence to a broad warning about drugs. The third paragraph also shifts from mandatory part-time work to online certification and freelancing without clearly linking each option to the proposed placement. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s focus, then connect examples explicitly to the claim. More precise referencing and fewer formulaic transitions such as “For instance” and “Let's take an example” would make the flow smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including relevant terms such as “work experience,” “comfort zone,” “freelancing,” and “secure a job.” There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “work placement” and “undergraduate degree.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or vague, which limits precision: “gives an exposure,” “bad stuff,” “get a drug addict,” and “work related stuff” do not express the ideas naturally. Spelling and word-form errors such as “atleast” and “pursing” also reduce control. Aim for precise academic phrasing—for example, describe the risks as “negative peer influences” and say a student “may develop a drug dependency.” This would make your argument clearer and more appropriately formal.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “when,” and “unless,” and most of the meaning remains clear. Some grammatical errors occur, particularly with articles, verb forms, agreement, and sentence boundaries. For example, “a part time work should be mandatory” needs a different noun construction, while “a younger student can get into bad stuff … and eventually get a drug addict” has an incorrect verb pattern. The sentence beginning “In contrast, a student can get a bad influence” also needs a grammatical restructuring. Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, as in “i” and the comma splice in “In contrast, … abroad, this is a huge disadvantage.” Review article use and verb patterns, and separate independent clauses with a full stop or suitable conjunction.

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