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)

The thought of inclusion of studying or doing a work placement in foreign country for a period in all university undergraduate courses is substantial. The advantages will clearly outweigh the disadvantages, as spending time abroad will definitely bring a different perspective to ones' thinking and we can explore multiple cultures, technologies and opportunities. The only disadvantage is they need to spend a significant amount of money for travel and living.

To begin, there are many advantages in spending a period of time abroad learning, one can meet people across different cultures and can share multiple ideas. people from under developed and developing nations can learn various tecnologies and study different businesses and can get familier with them, when they move to a developed nation. Working abroad will provide better career oppurtunities for few individuals too, for instance many people aspire to move to major tech hubs like the US ,Canada, Ireland, UK and Australia for better career oppurtunities, so studying in these nations can build connections and hep in their career.

In contrast, moving abroad requires a large amount of money for travel and living, while one can easily earn if they move abroad for work, where many students might not be able to invest more money to study, they will be able to move unless they get any scholarships.

In conclusion, spending a period of time studying abroad or doing a work placement will help people to build their careers, and can have a huge impact on ones knowledge, while, they need to spend a substantial amount of money to move to abroad.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits outweigh the costs, and you address both advantages and disadvantages. The points about cultural exchange, learning from other countries, and building career connections are relevant. However, the advantages are asserted more than explained: for example, you mention learning about “various technologies” and businesses but do not show how this would benefit students’ studies or future work. The disadvantage is also treated briefly, with cost as the only concern and little discussion of how it affects different students. To strengthen the response, develop fewer points with specific explanations or examples, and make the comparison between the benefits and costs more explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a contrast paragraph, and a conclusion. The progression from benefits to costs is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “To begin,” “In contrast,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. However, some connections are awkward or unclear. The sentence beginning “while one can easily earn if they move abroad for work” shifts between studying and working without clearly linking the ideas, and “they will be able to move unless they get any scholarships” is difficult to interpret. Use referencing that clearly identifies who “they” refers to, and connect each supporting point more directly to the paragraph’s main idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “different perspective,” “multiple cultures,” “career opportunities,” and “scholarships.” These choices communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and some phrases are imprecise or unnatural, such as “inclusion of studying,” “move to a developed nation,” and “move to abroad.” Spelling errors in “tecnologies,” “familier,” “oppurtunities,” and “hep” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe a course as “including an overseas study period,” and use “gain international experience” rather than relying repeatedly on general phrases about moving abroad.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “as,” “while,” and “when,” but control is inconsistent. Several sentences contain faulty structures or punctuation that make the relationships between ideas unclear. For instance, “To begin, there are many advantages in spending a period of time abroad learning, one can meet people” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. In “The only disadvantage is they need to spend,” the clause needs a clearer grammatical link, such as “that students need to spend.” There are also errors with articles, possessives, and prepositions, as in “in foreign country,” “ones’ thinking,” and “move to abroad.” Practise accurate sentence boundaries and review these patterns.

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