Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-02

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)

Speaking a foreign language in a foreign country could have many serious implication on ones mental and physical wellbeing. People travelling to other countries with different mainland language often have to deal with social as well as practical problems.

People moving to a country where the language being spoken is foreign to them, often creates misunderstanding and misinterpretation in terms of social aspects. For a better future and career opportunities, they often underestimate the social factors that a language could play solemnly. It could become a barrier or hurdle on various occasions during their stay. Practicality of this issue could be seen in simple tasks that a person have to carry with the use of translating technologies. Simple tasks like opening a bank account, asking for the ingredients in the food, buying stuff, ordering food, asking for directions could become difficult. These simple tasks becomes a burden or can cause anxiety for someone if they don't know the language. Additionally, social factors makes it more difficult to interact with people, make friends and have conversations in general. Not being able to talk to people on a foreign land could make an individual feel lonely, isolating themselves, resulting in their mental well being affected.

I solely agree that a person has to face variety of challenges when moving to another country that uses their native language different from their home country. Moving for better opportunities comes with some consequences. People in initial phases have to deal with homesickness, emotional and social isolation until they adapt to the atmosphere.

In conclusion, moving to another country and speaking a foreign language requires a huge amount of strength to deal with these practical and social circumstances. People should be physically and mentally fit to deal with any kind of hurdles that come along the way.

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 country where a foreign language is spoken. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For example, while you mention practical tasks like 'opening a bank account', the explanation remains at a surface level. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the consequences of these issues with more specific examples or deeper analysis. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented in the body paragraphs. Overall, the task is addressed, but the depth of discussion is inconsistent.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Additionally' and 'In conclusion', to link your thoughts. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the discussion of practical tasks and the impact on mental health is a bit abrupt. Furthermore, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'this issue' which refers back to a broad concept rather than a specific antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'misinterpretation', 'isolation', and 'consequences'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'mainland language' is not a standard term, and 'solemnly' is misused in the context of 'social factors that a language could play'. Additionally, 'practicality of this issue' is slightly awkward; 'the practical nature of this issue' would be more precise. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise lexical items that would allow for a higher score. Focus on learning collocations to improve naturalness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues, such as 'a person have to carry' (should be 'has') and 'social factors makes' (should be 'make'). There are also minor errors in article usage and pluralization, such as 'a variety of challenges' (correct) versus 'a variety of challenge' (incorrect). While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy.

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

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