Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-17

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)

Surviving in a country where you have to speak a non-native language would be quite difficult and would cause serious problems in interacting people. It is difficult for a person to live in a place where he had not been since his birth as this new land will have new things which are difficult to adopt.

I would say that being a foreigner can cause serious problems. As such a guy did not know how to communicate with other people. It will be difficult to interact with people and to ask for basic resources. But if one can speak the basic language of a foreign land it will help him a lot in surviving. As in the present world English has become an international language and it had made life very easy because of it we can communicate with anyone in the world. It is just because of this system that a large number of are living a happy life in another country.

I would agree that there were some problems that would be faced by the foreigners but if they learn such language it will help them a lot as due to this they will become multi lingual and can earn their livings in two countries. however they will also explore new culture of a completely new place.

In conclusion, I would say that being a foreigner was a problem back in time but it it is not difficult as technology has made much advancement and we can communicate with anyone all over the world at any time without facing any difficulty.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the difficulties of living in a foreign country and the role of language. However, the development is somewhat superficial. While you state your position, the arguments regarding 'social problems' are not fully explored; you focus primarily on communication and technology. The essay lacks specific examples or deeper analysis of the 'social' aspect mentioned in the prompt. To improve, ensure you provide concrete illustrations of how language barriers impact social integration, such as difficulty forming friendships or accessing community services, rather than relying on general statements about technology.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is sometimes mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'but', 'as', and 'however', but the logical progression within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed. For instance, the transition from discussing English as an international language to the benefits of being multilingual is abrupt. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'such a guy' or 'this system', which makes the connection between sentences feel repetitive. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'difficult', 'problems', and 'people'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'interacting people' (should be 'interacting with people') and 'earn their livings' (should be 'earn a living'). To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to migration, cultural adaptation, and linguistic challenges, while ensuring collocations are used accurately.

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 distract the reader. Issues include inconsistent verb tenses (e.g., 'did not know' vs 'had not been'), subject-verb agreement, and article usage (e.g., 'a large number of are living'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on proofreading for tense consistency and basic sentence construction will help improve your accuracy.

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