Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25

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)

There is an ongoing debate regarding,nowadays,many people believe that university students should bechlor's degree want to spent a quilty time with studying abroad and work placement.This situation have own prons and cons.I believe the advantages surpass the drawbacks.My inclination is justified in the upcoming paragrahs with relavant examples.

It has been observed that,there are many merits of this situastion.The foremost reason is that students get chance to enhance their skills.By this I mean,if students doing study along with work they can improve their communication skills.For example,juveline work in particular workplace such as cafe,company so they get a internationl work experience and they meet different types of people.As a result,if they talk with others so it's great way to students improve their skills.

Furthermore,students gain practical knowledge.To elaborate,university increase a peroid of time spent study and work place so students learn time managment skill as well as they obtain experience of travelling.For instance,during traveling,they try to connect with others and explore new places.

On the contrary,if university rise a period of time studying and works so students can not afford it.To elaborate,studying fees is very expensive.students do not manage fees.After that they feel exausted and they do not concentrate their studies.For example,if students do not pay university fees so they do not complete their degree and they do not have much time to relax.As a result,students become demotive.

To conclude,I believe there are many advantages of the students because if university increase a period of time spent study and work so juvenile easily gain practical work and improve their skills and they get new work experience,However,there are some drawbacks too,such as students do not afford education and they become stress.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you address both sides of the question. The benefits you identify—improving communication skills and gaining practical experience—are relevant, as is your concern that costs and fatigue may affect students. However, the position is not consistently explained: the conclusion says there are “many advantages” but does not clearly weigh them against the drawbacks. Several points are also under-developed. For example, the café or company example does not explain how a placement abroad specifically benefits students, while the cost argument needs a clearer link to why the proposed period would be unaffordable. Develop fewer points with specific explanations and examples, and make the comparison between benefits and disadvantages explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. This gives the reader an overall route through your argument. You also use signposting such as “Furthermore,” “On the contrary,” and “To conclude.” However, connections between ideas are sometimes mechanical or unclear. Phrases such as “By this I mean” and “To elaborate” are repeated, and “As a result” does not always introduce a clear consequence. Some sentences within paragraphs repeat the same point rather than progressing it, particularly in the discussion of communication skills. Use linking expressions only where the relationship is clear, and organise each paragraph around one main idea followed by explanation and a relevant example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “communication skills,” “practical knowledge,” “work experience,” and “time management.” These choices help convey the main ideas, but the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unclear, sometimes making the reader work to understand your meaning. Examples include “quilty time,” “juvenile work,” “gain practical work,” and “students become demotive.” There are also frequent spelling errors, such as “internationl,” “paragrahs,” and “exausted.” Aim to learn accurate topic-specific phrases and check spelling carefully. More precise wording for placements, affordability, and student wellbeing would make your argument clearer and less repetitive.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including conditional forms such as “if students doing study along with work they can improve their communication skills.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction frequently make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “This situation have own prons and cons” needs a correctly formed subject–verb pattern, while “students can not afford it” leaves the object of “it” unclear. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and several run-on sentences. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, then add subordinate clauses only when you can control their structure. Proofread for sentence boundaries and agreement.

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