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)

It is widely believed that all the universities should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement for their students in undergraduate courses. I believe that there are a lot of advantages for students who spent some time of their course in a foreign country and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

There many benefits for students of studying abroad or doing a work placement. Universities only give theoretical information and students need practical work to get experience for jobs. For instance, doctors visit hospitals for their practice, so that they can expertise in their work. Business employs have to visit markets to get information related to their work. Furthermore, students should do a work placement so that they can get experience for the practical world. Moreover, if individuals spend a period of time abroad for study or for work placement they can improve their communication skills by communicating with other people. Main advantage of studying and working abroad is that individuals can learn about the culture of other communities and it is a positive development.

There are significant drawbacks of studying abroad or doing work placement is that it required a large amount of money. People have to pay the bills of flights, accommodation, and travel expense, due to this the students have to do a lot of struggles. In addition, some students face home sickness in a foreign country, they miss their families and cannot focus on studies and work.

To conclude, I believe that there are a lot of drawbacks of studying and work placement abroad because it required a large amount of money. I think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because individuals cab get independence, better life style, and improve their communication skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both the benefits and drawbacks and state a clear view that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Relevant points include gaining practical experience, improving communication, learning about other cultures, and facing costs or homesickness. The examples of doctors visiting hospitals and business employees visiting markets help illustrate the practical-learning argument. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the claim that cultural learning is a “positive development” is not linked clearly to students’ future outcomes. The conclusion also briefly says there are “a lot of drawbacks” before reaffirming that advantages outweigh them, which makes your position less consistent. Develop fewer ideas with clearer explanation and keep the comparison explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The reader can follow the main progression, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “Moreover,” and “In addition” help connect points. However, the sequence within the advantages paragraph is somewhat list-like, and repeated transitions do not always show how one idea develops from the previous one. The conclusion’s statement that there are “a lot of drawbacks” conflicts with the position that advantages outweigh them, weakening the final progression. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s main point, then connect examples directly to it; also use pronouns or other referencing carefully to avoid repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “theoretical information,” “practical work,” “communication skills,” “accommodation,” and “home sickness.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “foreign country” and “practical world.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “business employs” appears to mean “business employees,” “expertise in their work” does not fit the intended meaning, and “do a lot of struggles” is not idiomatic. “Better life style” is also vague in this context. Build a more reliable range of collocations for education, employment, and costs, and check word forms and spelling so your meaning is expressed naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “so that,” “because,” and “if,” and most of the argument remains understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, however, particularly with sentence structure, agreement, and verb forms. For example, “There many benefits” is missing a verb, while “There are significant drawbacks … is that” combines incompatible structures. In “students who spent some time,” the verb form does not match the general present-time meaning, and “it required” should use a form consistent with the surrounding statement. Articles and plural forms also need attention. Practise checking each sentence for a complete subject and verb, then review agreement and tense consistency, especially in longer sentences.

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