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)

In recent years , it has been widely discussed whether studying abroad or doing a work placement is beneficial or not . Although students may face several challenges while engaging in this activity , it also offers numerous advantages . This essay will argue that studying abroad or doing a work placement is far more beneficial despite some potential drawbacks associated with it.

One of the most significant advantages of studying abroad or doing a work placement is gaining practical experience . Students can gain practical experience and this can help them understand how to work in a professional environment .As a result , pupils can improve their overall skills and performance effectively . Another key benefit of studying abroad or doing a work placement is increasing job opportunities . These opportunities allow students to earn more money and help them cover their expenses .

For example , if pupils studying abroad or doing a work placement can gain lots of knowledge and build their ideas . Also they can learn how to perform in a professional workplace .

However , studying abroad or doing a work placement is not without its disadvantages . One notable drawback is high financial costs . Studying abroad or doing a work placement is not easy , for this purpose , students need lots of money for their accomodation , transportation , food costs and so on . It can be more stressful for them . Another challenge associated with studying abroad or doing a work placement is loneliness . A long time, students stay separated from their family . which may lead to depression , stress and difficulty concentrating on academic studies . For instance , a student who lives abroad for study or work purposes may feel lonely. For this reason , sometimes students decide to take a break from their studies for a semester .

In conclusion , although studying abroad or doing a work placement involves certain challenges , it remains largely beneficial overall . While students may experience disadvantages such as high financial costs and loneliness the advantages , including gaining practical experience and increasing job opportunities outweigh These drawbacks. Ultimately these benefits make studying abroad or doing a work placement more advantageous than disadvantageous .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you argue that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both sides of the question. Practical experience, improved employment prospects, financial costs and loneliness are all relevant points. However, several ideas are asserted rather than fully explained. For example, the link between placement opportunities and “earn more money” is not made clear, and the example about gaining knowledge and building ideas does not show specifically how this supports your argument. The disadvantages are also more concrete than some of the benefits. To strengthen the response, explain how each benefit or drawback affects students and connect your examples directly to the claim that the advantages are greater overall.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion that restates your position. Sequencing phrases such as “One of the most significant advantages,” “However,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main stages. Some connections are mechanical or unclear, though. The example beginning “For example, if pupils…” does not clearly illustrate the preceding point about job opportunities, and “For this reason” introduces a consequence without a fully clear link. The sentence fragment “which may lead to depression” also interrupts the flow. Use references that clearly identify the idea being discussed, and make each example directly support its paragraph’s main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “practical experience,” “professional environment,” “financial costs,” and “loneliness.” However, the range is limited by repeated phrases such as “studying abroad or doing a work placement,” “students,” and “advantages.” Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “build their ideas,” “increasing job opportunities,” and “for this purpose.” There is also a spelling error in “accomodation.” These choices do not prevent understanding, but they make parts of the argument less precise. Build a wider set of natural collocations for education, employment and costs, and check spelling and word choice during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a concession in the introduction and a conditional example beginning “if pupils…”. Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical and punctuation errors affect clarity. “A long time, students stay separated from their family” has an awkward sentence structure, and “which may lead to depression” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. In the conclusion, punctuation is missing around “loneliness” and “outweigh,” making the relationship between clauses harder to follow. There are also inconsistent spaces before punctuation. Practise forming complete clauses and joining them with appropriate punctuation, while retaining your attempts at longer sentence patterns.

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