Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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)

This getting very popular among the undergraduate students to spend one semester studying abroad in their interested field. Also various universities in Pakistan are encouraging students to move abroad or work in any international corporation to learn different culture and new skills. I think is has various advantages for students academic performance and learning the market requirements.

Their are numerous advantages of studying about it can help students to learn more practical skill while studying with pupils and performing multiple researches on different types of authentic data. working in another county can also make them learn different work cultures, experience and build confidence.

It can make them earn some money while studying.

Studying, can also have multiple disadvantages for university undergraduates, which includes language

barrier, higher courses fee and living far away from family can lead to stress and affect overall well-being.

working in an international organization can also lead various kind of issues for international students it can be different work culture, unrealistic expectations from team leaders, which can lead to disatisfaction

and lower productivity in work place.

In conclusion, studying and working between courses have numerous advantages for students, they can learn different cultures, earn money during study and gain some international experience. However their can be many disadvantages for students for example, high fee, cultural difference and living alone can lead to stress and health problems. I think their are more advantages then disadvantages because students can learn new skills, gain experience and build confidence in their self and every student must visit other countries for future benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the question by presenting advantages and disadvantages and giving a clear final view that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Relevant benefits include learning practical skills, gaining confidence and experiencing different work cultures; you also identify language barriers, costs and separation from family. However, the position is less clear in the introduction, and the discussion does not fully focus on the requirement that all undergraduate courses include a placement or study period abroad. Several points, such as earning money and “future benefits,” are asserted without explaining how they arise or why they outweigh the costs and well-being concerns. Develop fewer ideas with specific examples and make the comparison explicit throughout, rather than mainly in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, one on disadvantages and a conclusion. This helps the reader identify the main stages of the argument, and contrastive language such as “However” signals the shift to drawbacks. Nevertheless, progression within paragraphs is uneven: the advantages paragraph moves quickly from practical skills to work culture and then money, without showing how the points connect. Some linking is repetitive or awkward, including “also” and the unclear opening “Their are numerous advantages of studying about it.” The conclusion repeats several earlier points rather than drawing them together into a reasoned comparison. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each supporting detail directly to the paragraph’s main idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “practical skill,” “language barrier,” “work cultures,” “well-being” and “productivity.” These terms help communicate the main ideas about international study and employment. However, the range is limited and several word choices or combinations are inaccurate or imprecise, such as “studying about it,” “higher courses fee,” “different work cultures, experience,” and “future benefits.” Spelling errors such as “disatisfaction” and “county” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise academic collocations and check spelling and word forms. For example, describe “tuition fees” rather than “courses fee,” and specify what kind of experience students gain instead of using the broad phrase “international experience.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a sentence that explains how living far from family can affect well-being. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in basic sentence formation and agreement occur frequently enough to make some ideas difficult to follow. Examples include “This getting very popular,” “I think is has,” “Their are numerous advantages,” and “which includes,” where the subject and verb do not agree. Some sentences are fragments or run-ons, particularly “working in an international organization can also lead various kind of issues…” and the final sentence, which joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise complete sentence patterns, subject–verb agreement, articles and plural forms, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and main verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.