Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-03

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)

Education pattern is being changing since few decade. Significant people believe that it is benefical for students to let them study in foreign country for an period of time. however many of the individuals decline with this view in terms as students will face diffculty.

One of the major advantage of this is advance learning due to more tchnological advancement in dveloped countries of the world. This is because every country have different style of learning. Therefore it will be benefical in a way that students will dvelop their interest towards the studies, which will lead to improvement in own country. For example in developing countries as pakistan the quality of education has improved as many people have persue their studies in forign and initiate that style in pakistan.

However, it is not always the ideal situation as the main drawback is the education in abroad is expensive due to high inflation in domestic country. Significant number of people in country like pakistan are below the poverty line and cant even afford to have an proper nutrinal meal. If government will spronser the students so this will create an preasure on the tax payers. Furthermore, it is difficult to live alone in new country for an undergraduate student. The main difficults would include the cooking and learning new langauge or having an job there. Online learning can solve the issue as the student will afford this and they do not have to leave their native country.

Eventually to conclude, learning in abroad will be an excellent situation for an student however it can be too costly and other difficulties will be for students. In my opinion it is not a good option for students but digital learning can solve this. In future it ay be possible if inflation fall.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both the benefits and drawbacks and give a clear overall view: you ultimately argue that studying abroad is not a good option because of its cost and practical difficulties. The examples about educational approaches influencing Pakistan and students living independently are relevant. However, the response does not consistently answer the key question of whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The opening presents opposing views, while the conclusion shifts to online learning and says studying abroad is not a good option, without directly weighing the two sides. Some points, such as how overseas study improves education at home, need more explanation or specific support. Make your position explicit from the introduction and compare the importance of the benefits and drawbacks before concluding.

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 conclusion. Signposting such as “One of the major advantage,” “However,” and “Eventually to conclude” helps readers follow the broad direction. Some connections are less clear or feel mechanical, though. For example, the move from the cost of overseas study to online learning does not fully explain how online learning addresses the disadvantages of a required placement. The conclusion also introduces digital learning as a solution without developing it in the body. Use clearer links between each claim and its consequence, and keep the conclusion focused on weighing the two sides already discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “technological advancement,” “poverty line,” “tax payers,” and “domestic country,” and your meaning is generally recoverable. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause, as in “benefical,” “diffculty,” “tchnological,” and “spronser.” Several expressions are also unnatural or imprecise: “advance learning,” “an excellent situation,” and “learning in abroad.” Aim to use accurate collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe “access to advanced teaching methods” rather than “advance learning,” and say “studying abroad” rather than “learning in abroad.” This would make your ideas clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures such as “This is because every country have different style of learning” and a conditional sentence beginning “If government will spronser the students.” This shows an effort to connect ideas, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. Examples include “Education pattern is being changing,” “every country have,” and “students will afford this,” where verb forms or agreement are not controlled. Articles and plurals also need attention, as in “an period,” “an proper,” and “One of the major advantage.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and article use, and revise conditional sentences—for example, “If the government sponsors students, this will place pressure on taxpayers.”

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