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)

In recent years, the question of whether universities undergraduate degrees should include a one or two semesters studying in foreign institution or doing a work placement in relevant industry. I firmly believe that this system will have positive impacts on student educational and professional life.In below paragraphs I will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this policy.

To begin with, there is no doubt that if universities implement this type of policy, it will result in producing more polished graduates. For instance, a clear illustration of this can be seen at universities in Canada and United Kingdom, where universities have co-op projects and job placement which lets student to go and face real challenges in industry. Main positive effect of this is that by the time when students' complete their degrees they will not be considered as fresh for workplace or without any experience. Hence, it is evident this approach yields considerable benefits.

In contrast, studying abroad can be depressing for some students. For example, In foreign countries one have to counter number of difficulties during there stay, some of them can be living without family support, cultural shock, language barriers. As a direct result of these can be mental health issues for students' which leads them to sometimes do suicide attempts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You take a position, stating that the policy will have “positive impacts,” and you give relevant points about workplace experience and the difficulties of living abroad. However, the response only partially answers the question: it does not clearly weigh the advantages against the disadvantages or explain why one side outweighs the other. The work-placement benefit is relevant, but the claim that graduates will not be “fresh” is not fully explained, and the disadvantages paragraph lists challenges without showing how common or decisive they are. The response is also 38 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to develop your reasoning. State your comparison explicitly and support each main point with a fuller explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, and a paragraph on drawbacks. Signposting such as “To begin with” and “In contrast” helps readers follow the shift between the two sides. However, the overall progression is limited because the essay ends after listing disadvantages, without a conclusion that returns to the question of which side is stronger. Some links are also mechanical or unclear: “Main positive effect of this” has an imprecise reference, and “As a direct result of these” does not clearly connect the listed difficulties to the outcome. Develop a clearer sequence within each paragraph and use a concluding sentence to bring the comparison together.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “job placement,” “real challenges,” “cultural shock,” and “language barriers,” and phrases such as “considerable benefits” show an attempt to use more formal language. The range is adequate for communicating the main ideas, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes parts of the response less clear. For example, “polished graduates” does not precisely express the intended benefit, and “do suicide attempts” is not idiomatic. There are also spelling and word-form issues, such as “there stay” and “co-op projects.” Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling and word forms; this will make your ideas easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “if universities implement this type of policy” and a relative clause in “which lets student to go.” These attempts show some range, and the main message is generally understandable. However, errors in sentence formation, agreement, articles, and punctuation recur. The opening is a sentence fragment, while “one have to” and “which lets student” show agreement and form problems. In “by the time when students' complete,” the clause is incorrectly formed, and missing spaces after full stops make sentence boundaries unclear. Practise building complete sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, especially in longer clauses.

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