Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 whole university bachelor's majors should have an exchange programs or internships so that students can improve academically. I strogely believe that sudents should study abroad for a period of time or training, have many advantages and outweigh its disadvantages.

One important advantage is that having intenship or exchange oppurtunities enable students to gain more experience. Studying abroad for a whole semester would exposure students to a different eduction systems as result, learners would try to do their best to achieve high marks. Students think that they have to represent their country in a good way so they would do study hard. They will return with better academic level. Meanwhile, internships allow learners to get a work experience. Many companies require a work experience from new employees to get a job. Training help students to practice what they have learn.

On the other hand, the disadvantages allowing students to have training or exchange programs is that students will stressed out. Studying abroad for a short term would make students responsible for every task such as, cleaning, cooking and studying so they will be anxious regarding doing all these tasks. Morever, internships demondto be punctual and to perform the work perfectly. students would face many challenges that could make them frustrate or under pressure if they do not do well.

To coonclude, although university undergradute courses that have a perid of time to study abroad or doing a work placement assist students to have more experience and to perform well academically, students have to take care of themselves and to deal with various stressful tasks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the question and give a clear overall view that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, particularly through the claims that placements build experience and improve academic performance. The examples about exposure to another education system and employers seeking experience are relevant. However, the support is uneven: the academic benefit is asserted rather than clearly explained, and the disadvantages focus mainly on stress and daily responsibilities without weighing their seriousness against the benefits. The conclusion restates the main points but does not make the comparison especially explicit. To strengthen the response, explain more fully how these experiences improve students’ future prospects and why the benefits are more significant than the pressures described.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from academic and work experience to possible stress is easy to follow, and signposts such as “One important advantage,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help guide the reader. This organisation is effective, though some links between ideas are abrupt or unclear. For example, the claim that students represent their country is followed by the prediction that they will study hard, but the connection to improved academic results could be made more explicit. The phrase “as result” also leaves the relationship between exposure to a new system and achievement underdeveloped. Use clearer referencing and connect each example directly to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “exchange programs,” “internships,” “work experience,” and “under pressure,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “represent their country” and “punctual.” However, spelling errors and inaccurate word forms are noticeable, including “strogely,” “oppurtunities,” “intenship,” and “frustrate.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “gain more experience” in a context where the type of experience could be specified, and “do study hard.” These issues make the expression less precise and occasionally slow the reader. Check spelling carefully and learn common academic collocations for education, employment, and stress.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sentence linking study abroad with exposure to another education system and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but control is inconsistent. For example, “The whole university bachelor's majors should have an exchange programs” has problems with number and article use, while “Training help students to practice what they have learn” contains agreement and verb-form errors. The sentence beginning “Studying abroad for a whole semester would exposure students” also has an incorrect verb pattern, and several sentences need clearer punctuation to separate clauses. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and past participles, then proofread each sentence for complete and correctly joined clauses.

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