Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-11

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)

Residing in nation where individual has to communicate in a second language can cause considerable social issues as well as everyday challenges. You may face numerous challenges when you are not able to understand other individuals in their language. In this essay, I will give my opinion as how a foreign language can cause complicated issues and effective obstacles.

A great social issue is that a person who is not fluent in a non-native language would not be able to comprehend others. He would not be able to take part in co-curricular activities or to make new friends and social circle due to his limited speaking and understanding skills. For instance, an individual who is perfect in debates in his native language and can get achievement in this skill. But if he will debate with a person of second language, he will not be able to win due to hesitations and finite speaking skills.

A major social challenge that he might face is not getting proper place in the society. Many people may have a negative attitude towards him because he cannot talk to them in a better way. That individual can also face healthcare problems or job- findings issues. To illustrate, if he wants to get a job, but his limited skills will be a hurdle in his way to get the job for his living. And if he gets through a health issue and he goes to a doctor but could not describe properly that he is suffering from a horrible disease. In such cases, he has to face great practical problems.

I strongly believe that one must face these challenges if he does not have better communicational skills. One must have to learn the non-native language so that he can move easily through his life without hurdles.

To conclude, these problems can be overcome by developing better language skills and engaging with the local community.

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-language environment. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example regarding debates is a bit narrow and could have been expanded to reflect broader social integration issues. The practical examples, such as job hunting and healthcare, are relevant but could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task, but the supporting arguments lack the depth and sophistication required for a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is abrupt, and the use of 'For instance' and 'To illustrate' is standard but lacks variety. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'he' to refer to a generic 'individual', which can make the flow feel slightly disjointed. Improved use of linking words and better paragraph transitions would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their meaning clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'co-curricular activities' and 'communicational skills'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward word choice, such as 'job-findings issues' instead of 'employment difficulties' or 'getting a proper place in the society' instead of 'social integration'. The student relies on basic phrasing, which prevents the essay from demonstrating the flexibility and precision required for a higher band score. Expanding the range of collocations and idiomatic expressions would be beneficial.

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 that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'Residing in nation' (missing article), 'give my opinion as how' (should be 'as to how'), and 'if he will debate' (incorrect conditional structure). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage throughout the text. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching the 7.0 band, which requires more frequent error-free sentences and better control over complex structures.

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

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