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)

The addition of a class on the duration spent outside of the country for education or job placement in all the bachelor degree programs. The class will have a drastic effect on the students seeking education abroad or searching for jobs, despite of some obstacles.

First of all, the addition of a class on the foreign experience will have a positive role in the long run, who wish to seek international exposure interms of literature and career growth. It will give them the opportunity to learn about the fields available internationally. For instance, if a student is interested in a specialized subject like Artificial Intelligence, which is not available there. So, he may have the opporunity to avail easily, it will bring the new technological advancement to the country. In addition to, it will also open the gate for the students who wish to join any international organization by providing them with the chance to learn. For example, any medical student who wants to persue his career abroad, will be provided with the guidance to achieve his goal. It will ultimately leads to the financial stability of the student as well as their family, society and country.

On the other hand, the addition of a period on the days spent outside the country might have some bad effects. Like, there is a chance to waste the time of the students on topics like these. Students may be deprived of their course contents because of the time limit. It may also leads to the brain drain by the evacuation of skills people from their own country.

In conclusion, the class on the subject like the time spent abroad for study or professional work placement in the university course is the need of the day. It is needed to keep the new generation aware of the possibilities available outside of their boundaries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the topic and give reasons on both sides, including possible international learning and career benefits, alongside lost course time and brain drain. Your conclusion supports including overseas study or work experience, so a position is present. However, the response does not clearly weigh whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages: the conclusion calls the proposal a “need of the day” without directly comparing the two sides. Some support is also unclear or under-developed, such as the AI example (“which is not available there”) and the claim that placements will lead to financial stability for families and countries. State your comparative judgement explicitly and explain the examples more precisely to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph for benefits, a paragraph for drawbacks, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “First of all,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the broad direction. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven: the benefits paragraph moves from international exposure to AI, medical careers, and financial stability without fully explaining the links. Some connections are also unclear, particularly “For instance… which is not available there. So…” and “In addition to” before the next point. The conclusion repeats the general proposal rather than drawing together the comparison. Organise each paragraph around one main claim and use clearer links between claim, example, and explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “international exposure,” “specialized subject,” “technological advancement,” and “brain drain,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited by repeated wording such as “addition,” “students,” and “outside the country,” and several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural. For example, “class on the duration spent outside” does not clearly describe a required placement, while “open the gate” and “evacuation of skills people” are not appropriate collocations. Spelling and word-form errors, including “oppportunity,” “persue,” and “skills people,” also reduce precision. Build a more accurate set of phrases for placements, overseas study, and their effects, and check spelling and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including conditional language in “if a student is interested…” and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” However, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. The opening is a sentence fragment, and “So, he may be able to…” is not clearly connected to the preceding example. There are also errors in agreement and verb forms, such as “It will ultimately leads” and “It may also leads,” as well as article and sentence-structure problems. Practise forming complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, especially after modal verbs, which take the base form.

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