Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

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)

Every university should include a period of time to spent studying abroad or doing a work placement in undergraduate course . Although the development has advantages and disadvantages, I believe that advantages outweigh the disadvantages because of its positive impact on students goal to get better career opportunities and reduce unemployment .

On the one hand, there are several benifits associated with the undergraduated course which include a time for study oversea and doing work placement . The main advantage is that it can provide better career options . This is because students can do part time jobs at the sme time when they are studing in international platform . To illustrate, a wide rage of learners are doing work in USA ,Canada and rest of the countries workshops to servive or obtain opportunities. Furthermore, it can decrease unemplyment and create employment opportunities. Due to thesse options ae always minimise poor working conditions and improve living standrads. For instance, the Australian government created a environment for international students to get workplace for earning and servive. As a result, Students feel more capable and gain real life experiences.

On the other hand ,Providing employment and establishing companies also has some drawbacks. One major disadvantage is that undergraduate students may face depression and fail in academic subjects. As a result students may loos their confidents and feel anxiety with awfull academic result . However, i believe this drawbacks are relativly minor compare with benifits compare above.

In conclusion, Although providing employment opportunities and establishing companies has certain disadvantage . I firmly believe that advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear opinion in the introduction and conclusion: you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. You also address both sides, mentioning career opportunities and employment as benefits, and academic pressure as a drawback. However, the response only partially develops the task: it does not clearly distinguish studying abroad from doing a work placement, and some claims—such as how overseas part-time work reduces unemployment—are not explained convincingly. The examples about learners working in other countries and the Australian government are difficult to follow and do not clearly support the argument. To strengthen the response, explain how each type of placement benefits students and develop one relevant example for each main point. The stated length requirement is met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand,” “Furthermore,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of your argument. This supports an overall coherent arrangement. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: the move from part-time jobs to “workshops” and then to living standards is not clearly connected. Some references, including “these options,” are also unclear, and the conclusion repeats the position without summarising the main reasons. Use topic sentences that state one central idea, then explain and illustrate it in a logical sequence; make sure each pronoun clearly refers to a specific idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “career opportunities,” “unemployment,” “working conditions,” and “real life experiences.” These choices show an effort to discuss education and employment, but the range is limited and errors in spelling, word form, and collocation are noticeable. Examples include “benifits,” “undergraduated course,” “wide rage,” “servive,” and “living standrads.” Phrases such as “international platform” and “rest of the countries workshops” are also unclear or unnatural, which sometimes makes your meaning difficult to understand. Build a more accurate set of topic-specific expressions and check spelling carefully. Prefer precise phrases such as “gain international work experience” and “improve students’ employability” over vague or awkward wording.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use some complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “Although,” “because,” and “As a result,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and attempts at longer structures often contain errors. For example, “Every university should include a period of time to spent” has an incorrect verb form, while “in undergraduate course” lacks an article and has an unclear grammatical relationship. There are also problems with agreement and sentence boundaries, as in “this drawbacks are” and the fragment-like conclusion sentence beginning “Although providing employment opportunities.” Practise accurate clause construction, articles, verb forms, and punctuation. Shorter, controlled sentences would help you express your ideas more clearly before you attempt more complex structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.