Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-10

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 5.0)

This is true that living in a country where you have to speak foreign language can cause serious problems, like you don't know how to deal with people, don't know how to make an appointment to the hospital and many other social and practical problems but when you are moving to some country you have to learn their basic country language so you can easily survive in that country.

I am totally agreed with this statement that living in some country where you don't know their language is so harsh; you have to face many problems even in your daily life, which probably make the experience even more tough

Some of the reasons for my given answers is as following:

- You can neither buy nor order food when you don't know how to interact with people.

- You can't even make doctor's appointment when you are ill.

- This even cause problem in finding jobs.

Let me share my experience. I moved to Spain for higher studies; my father lived there for about 20 years, so I easily got the visa. When I reached there; I don't even know how to say (Hello) in Spanish, so the first two years were very difficult for me, but time teach you everything; With the passage of time i got used to it and now it's been 6 years I am in Spain and now i speak Spanish like it is my Mother Language.

The thing is we just have to keep patience and keep trying again and again in every field of life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by acknowledging both social and practical problems associated with living in a foreign-language environment. However, the development is quite limited. The use of bullet points is inappropriate for an IELTS essay, which requires formal paragraph structure. While you provide a personal example, the analysis of the 'social' aspect is underdeveloped, focusing primarily on basic survival tasks like ordering food or seeing a doctor. To achieve a higher band, you should expand on the social implications, such as the difficulty of forming deep relationships or understanding cultural nuances, and ensure your position is consistently maintained through well-developed paragraphs rather than lists.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks a formal structure. The use of bullet points disrupts the flow and is not suitable for academic writing. While there is a basic attempt at paragraphing, the transitions between ideas are mechanical and simplistic (e.g., 'Some of the reasons for my given answers is as following'). The logical progression is hindered by the fragmented nature of the bulleted list. To improve, you should use cohesive devices such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'in addition' to link your sentences and ensure that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea that flows naturally into the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally functional but limited and repetitive. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'serious problems', 'make the experience', and 'do not know'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. While the meaning is clear, the range is insufficient to demonstrate a higher level of proficiency. To improve, try to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'linguistic barriers', 'social integration', 'cultural assimilation', or 'daily necessities', rather than relying on generic terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement ('time teach you everything'), tense inconsistencies ('I don't even know' when referring to the past), and article usage ('to the hospital' instead of 'to a hospital'). The sentence structures are mostly simple or compound, with very few attempts at complex sentences. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent and noticeable. Focusing on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent verb tenses will help improve your accuracy and overall control of the language.

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

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