Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

There have been a lot of problems that a non-native person can find when he is in abroad. I strongly believed that foreign language can be difficult to some extant. Staying abroad and having less knowledge can be problematic which can cause social and practical problems as well.

Firstly, a person who don't have much knowledge about a language which is not his mother language can be difficult because living in a country where a totally different language is speaking by everyone he might find himself that he doesn't belong to the country. If he goes out and go to a supermarket to buy something he may find difficult to do a conversation with the shopkeeper and can not ask him properly about what he is willing to buy. This thing can demotivate him that he is the person who does not express his inner feeling with someone clearly.

Secondly, if a person is living abroad for higher studies but he has not much command on foreign language like other students have can feel embarrassment in the class. That person can not get understand the lectures delivered in the class and might be failed in the exams as well. Failing in the exams are the most difficult life event in the life.

Thirdly, a person weak in foreign language can not have much friends due to lesser knowledge in abroad language. Because he can not communicate well, can not express his thoughts clearly and can find difficulties during conversations.

In the end I would like to conclude that having great knowledge of any foreign language can have a great impact on life whether you are going for studies or for immigration process. A person who know more language then a person who only command on native language can not be consider same, like in the filed of study, job or any other social place where language matters a lot.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both social and practical problems associated with living in a foreign country. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For example, the point about struggling in a supermarket is a practical example, but the explanation remains superficial. The conclusion attempts to summarize the argument but introduces new ideas about immigration and job fields that were not previously explored. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced examples and ensure that each paragraph focuses on a distinct, well-developed point rather than repeating the general idea of 'difficulty' in different contexts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In the end' to signal transitions. However, the connection between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the flow within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'This thing can demotivate him'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the progression of ideas could be smoother. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that pronouns clearly refer back to the intended subjects to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'knowledge about a language' and 'difficult'. There are also some unnatural collocations, such as 'abroad language' instead of 'foreign language' and 'not much command on' instead of 'not much command of'. While your meaning is clear, the vocabulary is somewhat basic and lacks the flexibility needed to express complex ideas with nuance. Incorporating more topic-specific collocations would significantly enhance your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('a person who don't have', 'a person who know'), article usage ('in abroad'), and awkward sentence construction ('living in a country where a totally different language is speaking by everyone'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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