Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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)

Studies is very important part of our life. All degrees of university undergraduate should spent time have two options first option is spend time in study abroad and other is doing time in work placement. Both options have pros and corns. This is depends on the situtation of the student who will further studies in abroad and settled in his own country then the better option is doing work in the work placement.

To the begin with, if any student spent time go abroad for studies then this is very high level studies and the method of the foreign universities is different from his country and the culture of foreign countries is different from his country he adopt new things, but in abroad the private universities is very expensive and the fees of this universities is can't afforadable and is too much higher, but on the other higher rank government universities the fee structure is affordable and better for his future plans.

Furthermore, spent time for work in work placement have benefits is to gain experience for his relevant fields and get improve the future skills. The advantage of the student, when the student complete the studies and in continue his partical life then easy find out the job of related his skills. For instance my brother strat housejob during the study period now he is in practical life and he is easy find the job related to the skill.

In the conclusion, both options have advantage and disadvantage but I think working placement have lot of benefit of the student. Student can gain practical knowledage in the during the studies and easy easy achieve his future goals rather than study abroad.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both options in the prompt and give a clear preference for work placement in the conclusion. The points about learning different methods and cultures abroad, high fees, and gaining relevant experience are on topic. However, the response does not fully answer whether the advantages of including either option in every undergraduate course outweigh the disadvantages. Your opening says the better choice depends on the student’s plans, while the conclusion favours placements, so your position is not fully consistent. The disadvantages of placements and the benefits of studying abroad are also not explored in enough detail. Develop a consistent overall judgement and explain why the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, using more specific support for each main point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs about studying abroad and work placement, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “To the begin with,” “Furthermore,” and “In the conclusion” help signal the stages of the essay. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several ideas are joined in long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the paragraph about studying abroad moves from academic methods and culture to university fees without clearly explaining how these points support your overall view. The opening also presents a conditional preference that is not clearly connected to the conclusion. Use clearer topic sentences, divide complex points into shorter units, and make references between ideas more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “work placement,” “foreign universities,” “experience,” and “future skills.” These terms allow the reader to identify the main ideas. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes meaning harder to understand. Examples include “pros and corns,” “high level studies,” “partical life,” and “easy achieve his future goals.” Spelling errors such as “situtation,” “afforadable,” and “knowledage” also reduce accuracy. Build a wider set of natural phrases for education and employment, and check spelling and word combinations carefully. More precise vocabulary would help you explain the advantages and disadvantages clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including clauses beginning with “if” and “when,” and the reader can generally identify your main message. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “All degrees … should spent” needs a correctly formed verb, while “the private universities is” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The sentence beginning “To the begin with” also combines several clauses without clear grammatical control, making the relationship between ideas difficult to follow. Practise accurate basic sentence patterns first, then build longer sentences with clear clause boundaries. Check verb forms and singular/plural agreement during revision.

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