Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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)

All universities should include a period of time for their undergraduate courses to study abroador doing an internship. In my opinion the benefits of study abroad or getting a work placement are far more than the disadvantages.

Students when travel to another country for study wether it would be for a small period of time, they meet people from all over the world that are also there to study and learn about their culture, values, ethics and foods, which will help them in future. For example when I was studying, we had students from different countries, some students are from turkey, somalia, indonesia and many more. At the end of our degree they learn a lot about our culture and we also learn from them about their country.

It is very beneficial as a student to meet people from other countires.

In the same way when students done an internship as a part of their course, it will help them in many ways, they will have knowledge about the industry before completing their studies and they also have learned the practical work. For example when I were studying, one of our class mate has got an internship in one of the best company although he had done internship for almost three months, however due to this internship the knowledge he had about the courses have changed dramatically, topics and concepts that were difficult for us to understand he learned them easily.

In conclusion, benefits of studing abroad or doing a work placement outweights there disadvantages and all the education institutions should include these in all under`graduate courses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear answer to the question, stating that the benefits “are far more than the disadvantages,” and you discuss both study abroad and work placements. The examples about meeting international students and a classmate gaining practical understanding are relevant and help explain your position. However, the response focuses almost entirely on benefits and does not explain what the disadvantages might be or why they are outweighed. Some points also need fuller development: for instance, you say meeting people will “help them in future” without specifying how, and the internship example could explain more clearly what skills or career benefits resulted. Addressing both sides and extending these explanations would make the argument more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs on study abroad and internships, and a conclusion. The two main ideas are presented in a sensible order, and phrases such as “For example” help introduce supporting details. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive or unclear. The study-abroad paragraph repeats the benefit of meeting people from other countries, while the internship example contains several ideas joined together, making the relationship between them harder to follow. Linking phrases such as “In the same way” and “In conclusion” are useful, but the essay needs clearer connections between claims, explanations, and examples. Organising each body paragraph around one developed point would improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including relevant terms such as “work placement,” “internship,” “industry,” and “practical work.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “culture, values, ethics,” although the list is not fully natural in context. The range is limited and several word-choice, spelling, and word-form errors are noticeable, including “abroador,” “countires,” “studing,” and “outweights.” Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “the knowledge he had about the courses have changed dramatically.” Aim for more accurate collocations and varied expressions for benefits, skills, and disadvantages; proofreading spelling and choosing more precise wording would make your meaning easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “when” and “although,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. Examples include “Students when travel,” “when students done an internship,” “one of our class mate has got,” and “the knowledge … have changed.” The long sentence beginning “For example when I were studying” combines several clauses without clear control, and punctuation is often missing after introductory phrases. These problems sometimes make the relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise forming accurate past-tense sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, then use shorter, clearly punctuated sentences when combining several points.

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