Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays many large international companies offer their staff the opportunity to spend a period of time living and working in another country.Nowadays, many large international companies give their employees the opportunity to live and work in another country for some time. This can be a valuable experience because employees can learn about a new culture, improve their communication skills, and gain international work experience. They can also meet new people and understand different ways of working. However, living in a foreign country can sometimes be difficult because of language barriers, homesickness, and cultural differences. Overall, working abroad can help employees grow both personally and professionally.Nowadays, many international companies allow their employees to live and work in foreign countries for a certain period. Working abroad gives people a chance to experience a different culture and learn new skills. It also helps them become more confident, independent, and adaptable. Employees can make new friends and learn different ways of doing business. Although living away from family can be challenging, this experience can be very useful for their personal and professional growth.Nowadays, many international companies allow their employees to live and work in foreign countries for a certain period. Working abroad gives people a chance to experience a different culture and learn new skills. It also helps them become more confident, independent, and adaptable. Employees can make new friends and learn different ways of doing business. Although living away from family can be challenging, this experience can be very useful for their personal and professional growth.Nowadays, many large international companies give their employees the opportunity to live and work in another country for some time. This can be a valuable experience because employees can learn about a new culture, improve their communication skills, and gain international work experience. They can also meet new people and understand different ways of working. However, living in a foreign country can sometimes be difficult because of language barriers, homesickness, and cultural differences. Overall, working abroad can help employees grow both personally and professionally.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student presents a discussion on the pros and cons of international companies allowing staff to work in foreign countries. However, a major issue is that the text consists of repetitive blocks, meaning the actual unique content is quite limited. The writer addresses the prompt by discussing cultural exposure, communication skills, language barriers, and personal growth. For instance, the text mentions that working abroad can help employees 'learn about a new culture' and overcome 'language barriers, homesickness, and cultural differences.' While the ideas are relevant, the severe redundancy prevents full, natural development across a standard essay structure. Therefore, it partially addresses the task requirements in terms of structure and fully developed progression.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The text displays a basic logical flow within individual paragraphs, utilizing cohesive conjunctions such as 'because', 'also', and 'however'. For example, the sentence 'This can be a valuable experience because employees can learn about a new culture...' demonstrates a clear cause-and-effect link. However, the overarching coherence is severely disrupted by the fact that the entire paragraph content is duplicated multiple times. There is a lack of proper overall essay organization, such as an introduction, distinct body paragraphs with varied points, and a concluding summary. Because the text loops and repeats the exact same blocks instead of progressing logically, cohesion is rated at a lower band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and appropriate for discussing the topic of working abroad. The student successfully employs common thematic phrases such as 'international work experience', 'communication skills', 'cultural differences', and 'personal and professional growth'. While the lexical range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding the reader, it remains rather safe and repetitive due to the duplicated text chunks. There are no notable spelling errors, but the lack of less common lexical items or sophisticated paraphrasing restricts the score to a solid functional band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a satisfactory command of grammatical structures. There is a healthy mix of simple and complex sentences, such as using subordinate clauses with 'because' and 'although' (e.g., 'Although living away from family can be challenging, this experience can be very useful...'). The majority of the sentences are grammatically accurate, with correct subject-verb agreement and punctuation. While complex structures are attempted and often handled well, the presence of identical duplicated paragraphs means the variety of structures is ultimately constrained. Overall grammatical accuracy is good, but the repetitive nature prevents a higher score.

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