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 in the world should include the practical work experience for the students who are still studying. In my opinion, work placement is more important because by gaining some skills, the student could later use it to get a job, go abroad or maybe some starting up some individual bussiness.

One main reason is that, the pupil could get some field related experience. Which can later help applying for abroad for study or maybe work visa. It will also enhance the portfolio and cv as well as linkedin profile. For example, a media student having some hands on experience in his field like film making could benefit them by being selected in a university which offers film, documentry kinda subjects. Also, today majority of the companies demand the skill needed to work in a particular place. So the practice experience could help and enable that pupil to be confidently eligible for it.

Secondly, the learners can directly get the job after completing their graduation. Because nowaways finding a job is so difficult for most of the students, which stress them alot. For example, a learner who gained some employement history at his education time would be more confident and more likely to directly hired by some company. Even tho, the graduates can also start opening up their own small setup, freelancing or any bussiness.

In conclusion, all universities should include a specific course on work placement for the undergraduate studnents other than focusing on time to be spent on studying abroad. Because, yes the studying abroad could give the some exposure but they would lack the skills which are more important in todays life. So by including practical experience courses, the pupils are more likely to be hired in agencies and independently capable of using the skills for making money.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear preference for work placement, and your points about gaining field experience and improving employment prospects are relevant to the question. Examples such as a media student building a portfolio and a graduate starting a small business help illustrate your position. However, the task asks whether the advantages of either studying abroad or doing a placement outweigh the disadvantages. Your response largely argues for work placement and briefly dismisses studying abroad, without weighing the disadvantages of placements or considering the benefits of studying abroad in a developed way. Some claims, such as that experience helps with visas or university selection, also need clearer explanation. Address both sides and develop the comparison more fully to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The sequence from gaining experience to improving job prospects is generally logical, and signposts such as “One main reason” and “Secondly” help readers follow the argument. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For instance, “Which can later help applying for abroad” is a fragment and does not clearly connect to the previous sentence, while “Because nowaways finding a job…” begins a sentence that depends on the preceding idea. The conclusion also introduces a contrast with studying abroad that has not been developed in the body. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and ensure each paragraph advances the comparison in the question.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “work placement,” “field-related experience,” “portfolio,” and “employment history,” which helps communicate the main ideas. However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or informal, sometimes making the meaning less precise. Examples include “some starting up some individual bussiness,” “directly hired,” and “small setup”; “kinda” and “alot” are also too informal for this essay. Spelling errors such as “documentry,” “nowaways,” and “studnents” are noticeable. Aim for more precise academic phrasing and check spelling and word forms carefully; this will make your argument clearer and more appropriate in tone.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “because” and “who,” but complex structures are often not controlled successfully. For example, “Which can later help applying…” is a sentence fragment, and “a learner who gained some employement history … would be more confident and more likely to directly hired” has problems with verb form and sentence construction. There are also errors with articles, agreement and punctuation, as in “the student could later use it” after referring to “skills,” and the comma after “One main reason is that.” These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Practise building complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, verb forms and articles, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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