Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-07

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)

It is often argued that living in a country where we have to speak foreign language can leads us to immense social issues, as well as practical dilemma. While some believe that living in another country will help you learn different culture and various aspects of life. I firmly agree that living in a foreign country where we have to communicate in the specific language we may suffer in finding jobs and faces social isolation as well.

Firstly, in the state where we are non native speaker we experience the consequences in finding the right opportunity to earn to meet our necessities of daily life. For example if we are called for an interview for any job and we are not up to the mark on the language of that country we cannot even understand what are the questions? and what we have to answer? in this way can loose that job.

Moreover, if we do not able to communicate well we can not meet different people we are unable to make new friends. We cannot socialize ourselves. For instance if a person do not understand the language of a country where he commuted he cannot connect with the community, faces difficulties in making new friends and experiences complication in delivering his viewpoints. Which in term make him isolate and the fear of language may not let he got out which may lead to serious mental issues.

In conclusion, I strongly agree with the point that living in a country where an individual have to use the foreign language to communicate can face severe social and practical issues.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position and providing relevant arguments regarding both social and practical problems. The ideas are generally developed, though the explanation of the 'practical dilemma' is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the example regarding job interviews is relevant but could be expanded with more specific detail to reach a higher band. The conclusion restates the position clearly. To improve, ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported idea rather than repeating the general concept of language barriers. Overall, the response is sufficient to address the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'Which in term make him isolate'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the flow between sentences could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the coherence of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at using less common vocabulary, such as 'necessities' and 'consequences', but there are also inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'practical dilemma' (which is slightly unnatural in this context) and 'the fear of language may not let he got out'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on repetitive phrasing. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on more precise collocations and a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('a person do not understand', 'an individual have to') and incorrect verb forms ('if we are not up to the mark on the language', 'let he got out'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of question marks in statements. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage is essential for improvement.

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

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