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)

In recent years , there has been a discussion among the commentators whether undergraduate courses should contain spending time overseas or getting employed for their specific stream . While this development seems beneficial to student , it sure has its drawbacks . I firmly believe that advantages outweigh the disadvantages .

To illustrate advantages of getting to spent time abroad or doing work would be to get the early exposure of understanding of international working models and get to develop global skillset on their particular stream. For instance , i decided to do my bachelors course from canada which gifted me good proportion of experience which i carry in day to day life and helped me to do various projects which were far from my age . The early travel and placement had played an significant role in my life to see various work culture , to gain knowledge on variety of subjects and mastering my field .

In contemporary , there has been some minor difficulties or disadvantages which i faced during the days of my work , as i just completed my secondary schooling from my hometown where i was being pampered by my parents and family but conditions are not same outside . Beimg just a teenager resulted me getting into the areas where i was not comfortable . nevertheless , it was an amazing experience in my life to able to travel to another country and work there for living .

In conclusion, it was awesome to be able to complete the course abroad , which overrides the risks and disadvantages present during the mean time . I strongly advice and recommend for travelling to different countries and not thinking about the outcome or risk of outcomes .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you give relevant personal evidence about studying in Canada and gaining exposure to different work cultures. You also acknowledge difficulties adjusting after living with your family. However, the response addresses the task only partially because the disadvantages are mentioned briefly rather than explained, and the benefits are mostly described through one personal example. The claim that the experience helped you complete projects “far from my age” is unclear, so its relevance is difficult to assess. To strengthen the response, explain specific benefits and costs for undergraduates generally, then show why the benefits outweigh those costs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, one on difficulties, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a basic route through your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the benefits paragraph moves from international work models to your Canadian experience and then to several broad outcomes without explaining their connections. Linking expressions such as “To illustrate” and “In conclusion” help, but some transitions are awkward or mechanical, and “In contemporary” does not clearly introduce the point that follows. Use topic sentences that state each paragraph’s main idea, and connect examples explicitly to your argument about why the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt some topic-related vocabulary, including “international working models,” “global skillset,” “work culture,” and “placement,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “getting to spent time,” “good proportion of experience,” and “for living.” These phrases sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. There are also spelling and form errors, including “Beimg” and “advice” where the verb “advise” is needed. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling and word forms. For example, describe gaining “valuable experience” and adapting to “a different working environment.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “While this development seems beneficial…” and a relative clause in “which gifted me…”. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. Examples include “whether undergraduate courses should contain spending time overseas,” “i decided to do my bachelors course,” and “it was an amazing experience… to able to travel.” There are also problems with articles, agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, as in “an significant role” and the long sentence beginning “For instance.” Practise building accurate sentences with one main idea and a clearly controlled subordinate clause, then proofread for capitalisation, articles, and verb forms.

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