Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-18

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)

According to some people living in other country where you have to speak a foreign language instead of your mother language can cause several problems. I agree with this statement and I will explain my perspective with few reasons.

Nowadays many students go to foreign countries for their further studies. According to a statistical poll result the biggest problem they face is language barrier. I have also experienced the same problem when I was studying IELTS it was really hard for me to communicate with my class-fellows in English as it was my second language.

After reaching UK biggest problem I faced like other students was language. It was really hard for me to be social with the people as if I wanted to ask something first I had to translate it into English. It took me around one year to find a proper job. During this time period I stayed most of the time at home in loneliness because I was unable to carry any conversation in the classroom.

Practically due to my less efficient language I was unable to talk to a person and represent my skills for the job due to this problem for on whole year I had to rely on my parents for living cost. And the social cut-off caused extreme homesickness.

My father who worked in Saudi Arabia for many years told me that it was really hard for them to even buy something from shop as all the shopkeepers were Arabic speakers. He was unable to find better opportunities due to this problem.

So, that`s why I agree with the statement that foreign language causes many social and practical problems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed the prompt by clearly stating your agreement and providing relevant personal and anecdotal examples to support your position. You cover both social and practical problems, such as isolation and employment difficulties. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. While your personal experience is relevant, the essay would benefit from a more balanced exploration of the topic, perhaps by discussing the broader societal implications rather than focusing primarily on your own narrative. The conclusion is brief and simply restates your position without synthesising the main points effectively. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more analytical depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For instance, you rely heavily on simple transitions like 'After reaching UK' or 'So, that's why'. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas within and between paragraphs. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'I have also experienced the same problem when I was studying IELTS', where the connection to the previous sentence is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of your cohesive devices would enhance the flow of your writing significantly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'language barrier', 'social cut-off', and 'homesickness'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'carry any conversation' instead of 'hold a conversation' or 'less efficient language' instead of 'limited language proficiency'. There is also a minor error in word choice with 'social cut-off', which is not a standard collocation. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and idiomatic expressions to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('After reaching the UK', 'from a shop'), subject-verb agreement issues, and punctuation errors, such as the use of a backtick instead of an apostrophe in 'that`s'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. To achieve a higher band, focus on proofreading for basic errors like articles and prepositions, and attempt to vary your sentence structure by using more complex subordinate clauses.

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

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