Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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 that whether the bachelors courses should have some time on foreign studies or doing a work placement. In my opinion, the advantages have more significance than disadvantages.

Firstly talking about the disadvantages of including studying abroad or work placement in the courses, one thing is that these topics would require extra time to work on.The students, instead of studying the subjects related to their degree, they will also pay attention to these topics and in result, their attention will be diverted. Another thing is that the students will not focus on the main short term goal, instead, they will be chasing the long term goals and will not focus on the degree he is currently enrolled in. For instance a first semester computer science student gets to know about the foriegn scholarships, studying abroad, placement and jobs. Ultimately his preferences will be changes and he will not be focusing on his comuter science degree.

In contrast, there are also some advantages of including these topics in undergraduate courses. starting with the first benefit that students get know how of these topic and in very early years, they get to know about studying abroad and work placements. Apart from their studies, they do some extra efforts side by side so that after their graduation they will be in a better place.For example a student who is graduated and now he is figuring out is far behind that student who already know what will i do at this time.

To conclude this discussion, i will say that the advantages outweight the disadvantages and the undergraduate studnets should have time to spend on foriegn studies and researching about jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear in the introduction and conclusion: you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. You also discuss both sides and give examples, such as the computer science student and the graduate who has not planned ahead. However, the response only partly develops the task. The disadvantages focus mainly on distraction from degree studies, while the benefits are described generally as gaining early awareness and being better prepared; neither point is explained in much depth. The examples are hypothetical and their outcomes are asserted rather than demonstrated. To strengthen the response, explain how a placement or overseas study produces specific skills or career benefits, and address possible costs or access issues before showing why the benefits are greater overall.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on disadvantages, a paragraph on advantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “In contrast,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the broad direction of the argument. However, some linking is mechanical, and the progression within paragraphs is not always clear. For example, the disadvantage paragraph moves from extra time to diverted attention and then to long-term goals without clearly distinguishing or connecting these points. The examples also do not always make the preceding claim easier to follow. Use topic sentences that state one main idea, develop it in a logical sequence, and make references such as “these topics” more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “work placement,” “undergraduate courses,” “degree,” and “scholarships,” so the main subject is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. Examples include “get know how of these topic,” “in a better place,” and “their preferences will be changes.” Spelling errors such as “foriegn,” “comuter,” and “outweight” also reduce accuracy. Aim to learn useful academic collocations and check word forms and spelling. More precise expressions for skills, career preparation, and academic focus would help you explain your ideas without relying on repeated general wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast structure with “instead of” and a conditional example beginning “For instance.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and verb forms can make parts difficult to read. For example, “There is an ongoing debate that whether” has an incorrect clause pattern, while “a student who is graduated” and “their preferences will be changes” use incorrect verb forms. The sentence beginning “The students, instead of studying…” is also awkwardly constructed. Practise building accurate clauses before adding extra information, and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb forms. Clearer sentence boundaries and punctuation would also improve readability.

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