Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-27

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)

Nowadays, it is argued that all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. I think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

To begin with, if university include a period of time spent studying foreign than it will gain practical work experience and develop professional skills. By learning in abroad many learners can improve their communication skills and they can speak english very well. Also, they can change their living style. Furthermore, many scholars can go in diffrent nations and get more knowledge about their culture they can also meet up with new people. By living alone and facing challenges, students can gain confidence level, become independent, and start earning money at a young age. At an early stage of life, college student can build internaional connections. As well as, university learners can improve employment opportunities.

On the other hand, studying abroad can be expensive, because accommodation costs are very high, making it unaffordable for some students. It can be problematic for some students who find it hard to leave their homes, as they suffer from homesickness and loneliness. Many pupils are not aware for diffrent languages. Also for many individauls it finds difficulty to accept diffrent culture in short time. In this case work placements may interrupt their academic studies.

To conclude, although studying abroad or work placement can be expensive and challenging, I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages as these experiences help students to develop new skills, independent, and improve their career opportunities

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear opinion in the introduction and conclusion, and you address both benefits and drawbacks. Relevant benefits include developing communication skills, independence and career opportunities; you also recognise costs, homesickness and cultural adjustment. However, several points are listed rather than explained, and the discussion does not clearly distinguish the effects of studying abroad from those of a work placement. The claim that students may “start earning money at a young age,” for example, needs a clearer link to the proposed course requirement. The response is 238 words, so it does not meet the 250-word minimum; this limits the space available to develop and support your ideas. Explain fewer points in greater depth and add a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help signal these stages. However, progression within the body paragraphs is uneven: several benefits are placed together without showing how one leads to another, and the transition from cultural knowledge to confidence and employment is abrupt. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “Also” and “Furthermore.” The sentence beginning “Many scholars can go in different nations” runs several ideas together, making their relationships less clear. Group related points, use clearer referencing, and connect each example explicitly to your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “professional skills,” “homesickness,” “loneliness,” “independent,” and “employment opportunities,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited by repetition of “students,” “different,” and “skills,” while several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “studying foreign,” “change their living style,” and “gain confidence level” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling errors such as “diffrent,” “internatinal,” and “individauls” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Aim to use precise phrases for academic and workplace experiences, and proofread spelling. More accurate collocations would make your points clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure (“if university include… then it will…”) and a reason clause (“because accommodation costs are very high”). However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur in basic sentence patterns as well as longer attempts. For example, “if university include” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “many learners can improve their communication skills and they can speak…” repeats the subject and creates an awkward structure. The final phrase “help students to develop new skills, independent” also uses an adjective where a noun form is needed. Some sentences are understandable, but these recurring errors can make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise accurate agreement and parallel structures, then check each sentence for a complete, correctly formed clause.

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