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)

Nowadays, most of the people are living in foreign countries. An individuals are living in abroad because of several reasons. In today's world English is known as an international language and it used in numerous regions. However, in some countries people need to speak the national languages of these nations. It could generate serious social obstacles and even some practical challenges. I strongly agree with that beacuse of various issues.

Firstly, the major issue is to face difficulties in communicatation. By this i mean that people faced many challenges in the context of communicate with foreigners. For instance, individuals those are living in china cannot speak chinese language as compared to chinese people. That's why they cannot be able to explain their message properly to chinese people. While living in China people must need to learn chinese language and their rules.

Secondly, people even are facing difficulties such as they can become introvert due to social anxiety. As they don't feel comfortable so they cannot be able to make new friends. For instance, students those are living in abroad like germany so they have to learn german language due to this they can easily understand the lectures which will be given in german language. That's why living in abroad causes many problems and some people may feel depressed in foreign nations.

In contrast, some people thinks that these problems can be helpful for people. In some nations which support english language. These regions assist the people to learn different languages. For instance, learning to different languages will be helpful in numerous ways.

To recapitulate, foreign language can creates some serious obstacles such as depression, anxiety and even stress. People need to learn foreign languages properly according to their rules.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

You have addressed the prompt by taking a clear position and providing reasons for your agreement. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention social anxiety and communication difficulties, the examples provided (such as the reference to students in Germany) are not fully linked to the core argument of 'social and practical problems' in a sophisticated way. The counter-argument paragraph is also quite brief and lacks depth. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph fully explores the implications of your points rather than just stating them, and ensure your examples directly support the specific claim being made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In contrast', but these are used in a somewhat mechanical or repetitive way. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'As they don't feel comfortable so they cannot be able to make new friends'. The flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed, which hinders the overall progression of your argument. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your pronouns and references clearly point back to the intended subjects.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for a higher score. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'most of the people' and 'many problems'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'living in abroad' (should be 'living abroad') and 'cannot be able to' (a redundancy). While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'social obstacles' and 'anxiety', the overall range is limited. Try to incorporate more academic collocations and synonyms to express your ideas with greater nuance and sophistication.

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. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('some people thinks'), article usage ('the national languages of these nations'), and incorrect verb forms ('foreign language can creates'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, although they do not completely impede communication. To improve, pay closer attention to basic grammar rules, particularly verb conjugation and the correct use of modals and articles. Increasing your control over these fundamental structures will significantly improve the clarity of your writing.

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

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