Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-12

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 a country where one has to speak a foreign language might lead to serious social and real life issues due to difficulty in understanding the different lifestyle and communication barriers. I totally agree a new country with a different language can be challenging, however, spending time with the locals and getting used to their language and culture can make life easy to live.

One of the social issues involve reaching out to residents who already have their own friend circle and making them your friends, can drain you emotionally and you could feel left out. For instance, an Indian student moves to Australia to do her masters, is expected to feel lonely initially, but her desire to make an image by altering her mindset can help her reside in that place for a longer period. Thus, it is crucial to change ourselves as per the environment in order to survive.

There are some practical problems faced by individuals residing in a new country and that is finding the right route to reach the destination. Suppose, one moves to another country where people speak a foreign language, and has trouble finding the right path or direction to reach his accommodation. He would take help from the locals but there is a possibility that he finds it challenging to understand him because of the accent of the local. Therefore, to recover from this kind of problem one should communicate with the locals regularly and get rid of it.

In conclusion, I would totally agree that living in a foreign country can have it's own issues however, one should give themselves time to understand thatcountry's culture, lifestyle and

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both social and practical problems. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The social aspect is supported by a relevant example, but the practical example regarding 'finding the right route' is quite narrow and lacks depth. Furthermore, the conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence, which prevents a full summary of the position. While the writer clearly agrees with the statement, the lack of a finished conclusion and the limited development of the practical argument suggest that the response is not fully developed. To reach a higher band, ensure all sections are completed and arguments are explored with more depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Thus', and 'In conclusion' are used to link sentences. However, the cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition between the Indian student example and the concluding advice is abrupt. The most significant issue is the incomplete final paragraph, which disrupts the overall coherence of the piece. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring a complete, well-structured conclusion would significantly enhance the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'drain you emotionally' and 'communication barriers'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice, such as 'make an image' (instead of 'build a reputation') and 'get rid of it' (referring to a problem, which is slightly unnatural in this context). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'it's own issues' (should be 'its'), 'thatcountry's' (missing space), and subject-verb agreement issues like 'One of the social issues involve' (should be 'involves'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the incomplete final sentence is a major error in structure. While these errors do not typically impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and possessive forms would be beneficial.

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