Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-05

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)

Residing in a state where you have to communicate in a second language can result in severe social as well as practical difficulties. Foreign language helps us to learn a lot about an unknown country like it's culture, architecture, fashion and food , it gives us a sense of belonging. In this essay, I will discuss the importance of knowing the native language of a foreign country before concluding it my opinion.

Foreign language in a new territory plays a significant role for the newcomers. Language barrier can cause efficient language proficiency because of which that person cannot access essential services and it also causes miscommunication. They cannot pay their medical bills, their complete paperwork is not done and they cannot roam around easily as they are facing a linguistic barrier. For example, if a Japan immigrant has to go to the doctor,he cannot explain his medical symptoms.

Language proficiency causes social isolation as foreigners are unaware of the native language and cannot communicate with native speakers. Even if they know so, they are not confident of themselves and are completely dependent on others. Living in a foreign homeland without knowing it's native language will always give you a sense of social excursion and unbelonging. Foreigners cannot merge into them and are unable to build a healthy social relationship. They can misinterpret the native jokes and idiomatic expressions which can result in the conflict between the natives and foreigners. Foreigners wouldn't be able to get emotional support and will face social loneliness. For educational purposes, children may able to solve the questions and comprehend the books but wouldn't understand the language of teacher and their classfellows. For instance, a China immigrant of UK maybe able to solve the mathematic problem but wouldn't comprehend what his teacher is saying in English.

In my perspective, foreigners can easily learn the language by enrolling in the native language course and by communicating with the natives using prepositions and verbs. It would be better if they learn the language beforehand but if not so, they should enroll in the course as soon as possible and learning the foreign language would be a piece of cake for them.

In conclusion, while both points are valid, i would say it's better to learn the langauge beforehand. This way, they would be able to enjoy all the opportunities easily and can communicate with the natives breaking the barriers of language.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both social and practical problems. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The introduction is slightly contradictory, as it initially suggests foreign language learning is beneficial before pivoting to the problems caused by language barriers. While the practical examples (medical appointments, paperwork) are relevant, the discussion on social isolation could be more deeply explored. The position is clear, but the conclusion introduces a slightly different focus by suggesting language courses as a solution rather than focusing on the extent of the problems mentioned in the prompt. Overall, the response is relevant but lacks a fully cohesive argument structure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a central theme. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the transition between the discussion of practical problems and social isolation is abrupt. There are also issues with referencing; for example, the phrase 'if a Japan immigrant' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is present, but the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. The use of linking words like 'In conclusion' and 'For instance' is appropriate, but the overall flow feels somewhat disjointed due to sentence-level errors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors. For example, 'social excursion' is not a standard collocation for isolation, and 'merge into them' is imprecise. The student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'linguistic barrier' and 'proficiency', which is positive. However, there are recurring errors in word formation, such as 'classfellows' (instead of classmates) and 'China immigrant' (instead of Chinese immigrant). The range is sufficient to communicate the main points, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the student attempts complex sentences, they are often marred by grammatical errors. Common issues include subject-verb agreement, such as 'children may able to' instead of 'may be able to', and incorrect article usage, such as 'a Japan immigrant'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors throughout. The frequency of these errors is noticeable, though they rarely impede the reader's understanding of the core message. To improve, the student should focus on consistent verb forms and correct prepositional usage.

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