Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-26

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)

In this period of globalization, many people lives in countries where people speak foreign language they face different difficulties. These difficulties affected their social life or daily practice. In my opinion, I strongly agree with this notion and my opinion will be discussed in further paragraphs with a suitable conclusion.

Supporting my agreement or disagreement to the given statement, I firmly believe that due to foreign language communication with local people can be difficult, which may increase social isolation and misunderstanding. To cite an example, a immigrant who did not speak foreign language, they face many difficulties to build relationship with their neighbors and colleague. Moreover, having limited language skill people did not participate any social activities and community event. for instance, they face difficulties to understand conversation and feel uncomfortable.

Explaining some of the another supporting points in favor this statement, it is true that foreign language create serious problem in practical life, especially in job, health-care, education and office work. As a consequence person did not explain their skills in interview, telling difficulty to paper symptoms in front of doctor and also face difficulty to understand official information. For instance, a foreign resident did not understand their doctor language, then how they explain their problem.

In conclusion, living foreign language country create serious difficulty in both social relationships and daily practical. I believe that aforementioned points are strongly supporting my viewpoint.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both social and practical problems. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the position is clear, the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For example, the points regarding healthcare and employment are mentioned but not fully explored with specific, well-developed examples. To improve, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the word count requirement to allow for a more comprehensive discussion of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'for instance' and 'moreover'. Some transitions between sentences feel abrupt, and the flow of ideas could be smoother. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is quite basic. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would help to improve the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'difficulties' and 'problems' multiple times. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'telling difficulty to paper symptoms' and 'doctor language'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary and idiomatic expressions related to the topic of language barriers and social integration. Focus on using more precise synonyms to avoid repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('many people lives', 'a immigrant who did not speak'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing ('living foreign language country'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score. You should focus on proofreading for basic errors such as pluralization, article usage, and verb tense consistency to ensure your writing is more accurate.

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

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