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)

It is often argued all univeristy students shouls have an extra class to know studying abroad or a time where they discuss or gain practical experience through work. I strongly beleive that this thought approach provide student more practical skills and knowledge. In my opnion its advantages completely outweighs the disadvantages.

One major advantage of this approach is that it enables students to attain knowledge and gain practical experience of how to apply further and select universities and scholarships. By working in professional placements students develop strong communication skills and problem solving abilities. They trained themselves in the enviornment where they knew how to deal things in a professional way, they also knew how to develop strong network connections. it made them more confident and in this way students make themselves independent and financially stable. furthermore, they develop a habit to manage their work with daily routine.for instance if a student get opportunity to work in an international setting they knew all the terms and conditions of international standard place.

Despite the major advantages, it also includes some of the disadvantages it also effect their grades and studies potentially it become challenging for them to create balance between them. Additionally, it also include financial burden as well students who belong to low income families struggles to manages things like accomodation, travelling and other expenses. some students effect with the language barrier and cultural shock.

In conclusion my opinion is students should spent time studying abroad and also gain practical experience in professional places it broadens their skills and boosts also their confidence. this approach become more beneficial than its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits of overseas study or work placements outweigh the drawbacks. You address both sides, giving relevant advantages such as practical experience, communication skills, confidence and independence, and disadvantages including pressure on grades, costs and cultural or language difficulties. These points keep the response focused on the question. However, some ideas are asserted rather than explained. For example, the link between placements and “select universities and scholarships” is unclear, and the example of working internationally does not show specifically how this experience benefits students. Develop fewer points with clearer explanations or a concrete example to make the argument more convincing and balanced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, separate paragraphs discuss benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion restates your position. This makes the main line of argument easy to follow. You also use signposting such as “One major advantage,” “Despite,” and “In conclusion.” However, connections within sentences and between ideas are sometimes mechanical or unclear. The advantages paragraph moves quickly from practical experience to scholarships, networking, confidence and financial stability, without showing how each point relates to the next. Some sentences run together, particularly in the discussion of disadvantages. Use clearer sentence boundaries and organise each paragraph around a smaller number of connected points, with explicit explanations of their relationships.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “practical experience,” “communication skills,” “problem solving abilities,” “financial burden,” and “cultural shock.” These expressions help communicate the main ideas, and there are attempts to use topic-specific language. However, inaccurate word forms, spelling and collocations are noticeable and sometimes make meaning less precise. Examples include “univeristy,” “beleive,” “enviornment,” and “accomodation,” as well as “strong network connections” and “effect their grades,” where the chosen wording is not natural or accurate. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common word partnerships, such as “build a professional network” and “affect academic performance.” Greater precision would make your vocabulary more effective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “where” and “if,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, some errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement and punctuation remain. For example, “this thought approach provide student” has agreement and number problems, while “students who belong to low income families struggles” also mismatches subject and verb. The sentence beginning “Despite the major advantages” becomes a run-on, joining several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, consistent agreement, and appropriate full stops or conjunctions. More accurate control of these patterns would make your argument easier to read.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.