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 favour 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 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by agreeing with the statement and providing reasons related to social and practical difficulties. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the main ideas are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive and lack specific, well-developed examples. For instance, the mention of 'job, health-care, education' is a list rather than an exploration of a specific scenario. To improve, you should expand on your points with more detailed illustrations 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 clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas from social to practical issues. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'To cite an example', 'Moreover', 'For instance'). Some transitions are awkward, such as 'Explaining some of the another supporting points in favour this statement'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your paragraph transitions are more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'telling difficulty to paper symptoms' (likely meaning 'explaining symptoms') and 'living foreign language country'. The vocabulary is somewhat basic and repetitive, relying on simple descriptors. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and collocations related to the topic of language barriers and social integration, and pay closer attention to word forms and usage.

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 impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('many people lives', 'a immigrant who did not speak'), missing articles ('in job, health-care'), and awkward phrasing ('foreign language create serious problem'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors is noticeable. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement, article usage, and sentence construction. Proofreading for these common errors before finishing your essay will significantly improve your score.

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

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