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)

Some people believe that it is very difficult for a person to cope socially and practically in a foreign country where he has to speak their native language. Although he could get a basic understanding of them, i agree with this perspective that he would face difficulty in delivering his message accurately and attain a good status in society.

One main barrier is that a person would face various problem while using a foreign language as a source of communication especially when he did not learn it. He would not able to speak language accurately which would impact negatively on communication. As a result, people in the foreign country can sometimes get wrong understanding of message. In addition, this would impact on social activities such as interaction with shopkeepers in the market for buying items for domestic use. Moreover, this would also have an impact in comprehending academic subjects in the school. For instance, if a person move to an abroad country with his family, they would face problems in fulfilling their basic needs and in continuing their studies.

Another major issue is that he would not be able to get good position in society when would not able to find job opportunities. To work in a foreign country, first thing is to know a demanding field and then gain practical skills in this field to get access to job opportunities. In doing so, an emphasis on detailed conversation is necessary to clarify points in one's mind. However, barrier in communication would lead to difficulty in comprehension. As a result, it would be challenging for a person to get a good status in society.

In the nutshell, i am agree with this view due to difficulty in understanding them and delivering one's own message. It includes problems such as accessing basic needs and attaining good status in society.

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 main ideas—communication barriers and employment difficulties—are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the discussion on 'academic subjects' is mentioned but not fully explored with specific examples. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed, nuanced explanations for your arguments rather than restating the same point about 'difficulty in communication' multiple times.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'One main barrier', 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'In the nutshell' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly forced. Furthermore, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear; for example, the pronoun 'he' is used throughout to refer to a generic 'person', which can feel repetitive and slightly unnatural. Improving the variety of cohesive links and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey the main points clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'communication', 'academic subjects', and 'job opportunities'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on basic phrasing. Some word choices are slightly awkward, such as 'abroad country' (instead of 'foreign country') and 'get good status' (instead of 'achieve social integration' or 'attain professional success'). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('he would not able to', 'i am agree'), missing articles ('in the school', 'in the market'), and tense inconsistencies. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, pay closer attention to basic sentence construction, specifically the use of modal verbs (e.g., 'would not be able to') and consistent verb forms.

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