Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems, as well as practical problems.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

This is a widespread opinion that it is a source of problems for foreigners to live in another country where they have to speak unfamiliar language and communicate with native citizens. I disagree with this point, because every person who decide to move abroad should be responsible to learn a language of his new country, and he has to communicate with people if he wants to build his new life.

First of all, moving abroad is an important step for every human. Many people are forced to leave their native country because of war, poverty or low labor force demand, and this is very stressful to make this choice. But if a foreigner decides to move somewhere and find there his new home, he has to be ready to accept local laws and rules, because it was his decision to live there. Besides that, many local people do not like immigrants who do not want to learn their language. For example, this is very widespread problem in many developed countries which accept many migrants, when locals have conflicts with foreigners who speak their native language.

Furthermore, it is impossible to build a career without knowing local language. The foreigner has to communicate with locals from his arrival to the end of his live there, so he cannot avoid speaking with people on their language. As an example, there are lots of foreign students in many countries who study badly because they do not understand the material they are taught and they cannot communicate with professors as well as other students.

In conclusion, despite the fact that living in foreign country can be stressful, the knowing of local language is a work that should be done, because without it a person do not be able to live in his new country fully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against the statement, arguing that the responsibility lies with the individual to learn the language. While the position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The argument focuses heavily on the necessity of learning the language for career and social integration, but it misses the opportunity to discuss the 'social problems' mentioned in the prompt in greater depth. The examples provided, such as foreign students struggling with material, are relevant but could be more specific or better integrated to fully support the argument. Overall, the response covers the main requirements but lacks the depth of analysis expected for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Besides that', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences can feel a bit repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall progression of ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the essay maintains a coherent structure from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinions clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'widespread', 'immigrants', and 'integration' (implied), but the range is somewhat limited. Some word choices are slightly unnatural or imprecise, such as 'study badly' instead of 'struggle academically' or 'do not be able to live... fully'. While there are no significant spelling errors that impede communication, the lack of variety and occasional awkward collocations prevent a higher score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the knowing of local language', 'a work that should be done') and subject-verb agreement ('every person who decide', 'a person do not be able'). Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'from his arrival to the end of his live there'. These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on article usage and ensuring consistent verb forms in complex sentences.

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