Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-30

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)

During this time of travel and technology, there is grater emphasis being put on students pursuing part of their undergraduate courses at a country abroad or doing a work placement. This essay will talk about the advantages and disadvantages and explain why and how the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Firstly, the biggest benefit of taking a course abroad allows the student to meet new people from other countries and be exposed to a new culture and the traditions of the country that they are pursuing their course. This allows the student to broaden their mind and may instill a new sense of creativity for the student and improve their teamworking skills. Other than this, if the student is living in their home country with their family, they learn a sense of responsibility and learn how to be independent by living in a new country.

However, there are some drawbacks. The biggest disadvantage is the cost to benefit ratio. Most employers or universities for post-graduate studies dont really care or look at if you've studied a course abroad, so there is not really any financial gain from a course abroad, the only advantage is exposure and experience.

In my opinion, an undergraduate course abroad is one of the best ways for a student to be exposed to new stuff and learn independance and if the students family can afford it without putting a burden on them, I do not see any reason to not take the oppurtunity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You present a clear view that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you give relevant benefits such as cultural exposure, creativity, teamwork and independence. You also acknowledge a financial drawback. However, the response only partially addresses the task: the discussion focuses almost entirely on studying abroad, while the prompt also includes work placements, and the disadvantage is briefly asserted rather than supported. The claim that employers and postgraduate universities “don’t really care” would be more convincing with an explanation or example, and the comparison of benefits against costs needs to be made more explicit. The response is 246 words, so it does not meet the required minimum of 250. Develop both options and support the central comparison with specific reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, a paragraph on drawbacks and a concluding opinion. Signposting such as “Firstly,” “However” and “In my opinion” helps readers follow the direction of the argument. The progression is nevertheless somewhat mechanical, and the conclusion largely repeats earlier points rather than drawing together the comparison. Some links between ideas could also be clearer: for example, the sentence beginning “Other than this” shifts from cultural benefits to independence without showing how the points relate. Organise the body around distinct, developed arguments and use more precise referencing and transitions. A separate discussion of work placements would also make the progression more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “broaden their mind,” “sense of responsibility,” “financial gain” and “exposure and experience.” These phrases communicate the main ideas, and some topic-related vocabulary helps the response remain clear. However, several choices are informal, vague or inaccurate, such as “new stuff,” “cost to benefit ratio” and “pursuing their course” when referring to a country. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “grater,” “independance” and “oppurtunity,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise academic collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe the “cost-benefit balance” and refer to “studying in another country” or “undertaking an overseas placement.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, and most sentences remain understandable. The conditional structure in “if the student’s family can afford it … I do not see any reason” is effective, while clauses beginning “that” and “by living” add some variety. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “the biggest benefit … allows the student,” the structure is awkward because the benefit itself does not allow the student; recast it as “A major benefit is that students can…”. The sentence about employers and universities is also long and would be clearer if divided. Check apostrophes and sentence punctuation, as in “dont” and the comma splice-like run-on in the final paragraph. More consistently controlled complex sentences would strengthen accuracy.

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