Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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)

Studying abroad for a semester or doing an internship during undergraduate studies is totally a differnet vibe. Although it has some positive aspects like studying in a totally changed environment and culture, but it impacts on student's life as well like home sickness and some other concerns. In this essay, we will discuss both aspects and how advantages are more than disadvantages.

If we talk about advantages, there are multiple benifits for studying abroad. You can enjoy different cultures, can learn from them. Studying abroad teaches you how to deal with various sort of situations. For instance, i know many classfellow of my school time, who visited Germany during their bachelor studies. They faced many situations, like finding their universities, going to their accomodations, tackling with the language barriers. So, studying or doing a work abroad makes you perfect to deal with every kind of problem.

In disadvantages, one of the biggest drawback is homesickness. Many students can not afford the distance from their homes. Secondly, you can not enjoy the perks in such a way which benefits you enjoy at your homeland. On third number, You can not attend any event of your homeland. One of my cousins got admission in a university which was 400 kms away from his home. As he did not know how to cook or how to wash clothes at that time , he withdraw his studies from the university and came back to home.

Although studying or work abroad has many disadvantages, positive points still outweight them in terms of better financial stability, rich environment and better government policies. If someone got a chance to study or work abroad, he/she must accept that chance to enjoy a totally different environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the question and state a clear overall view: the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The examples about classmates in Germany and your cousin make the discussion relevant and help illustrate cultural adjustment and homesickness. However, the advantages are developed more fully than the disadvantages, and some claims do not directly explain the value of a required placement for all undergraduates. For example, “better financial stability” and “better government policies” appear in the conclusion without being explained or supported earlier. The cousin’s experience also concerns studying away from home, rather than specifically abroad or a work placement. Develop these points and explain more directly how placements build skills or improve career prospects.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion that restates your position. Signposting such as “If we talk about advantages” and “In disadvantages” makes the intended progression easy to follow. However, some linking is mechanical, particularly the list-like sequence “Secondly” and “On third number,” and the opening uses “Although … but,” which creates faulty cohesion. The conclusion introduces financial stability and government policies without a clear link to the preceding discussion. Use transitions that show the relationship between ideas, and connect each example explicitly to the point it supports. This would make the progression smoother and references between sentences clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including relevant terms such as “language barriers,” “homesickness,” and “financial stability.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “tackling with” situations, though this phrasing is not natural in context. Noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “differnet,” “benifits,” “classfellow,” and “outweight.” Some expressions are informal or imprecise for an academic essay, such as “totally a different vibe,” “perks,” and “perfect to deal with every kind of problem.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural academic collocations. A wider range of precise terms for intercultural skills, independence, and career experience would help express your ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a concession in the introduction and a conditional sentence in the conclusion. However, errors occur across sentence patterns and sometimes make the writing less clear. For example, “Although it has some positive aspects … but it impacts” incorrectly combines two contrasting structures; use either “Although …, it also impacts …” or “It has positive aspects, but it also impacts …”. In “one of the biggest drawback is,” the noun should be plural, and “he withdraw his studies” needs a past-tense verb. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence punctuation, as in “i know” and the spacing before the comma in “at that time ,”. Check each sentence for a complete, correctly formed structure.

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