Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-08

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 the modern world, some individuals believe that settling in a nation where you have to understand their native language can cause serious social issues, as well as real world problems. There is an advantage of having knowledge of their native language and sometime it is used for survival. This essay discusses about agree side and state my opinion why I believe this opinion.

To commence, one of the major reasons is that native people did not understand another language to communicate and this cause several practical problems. In other words, practical problems occur when anyone asking for food or jobs and this issue creates when people do not understand their native language and this can create difficulties in basic survival for people. People may be biased when others did not know their native language and they may not communicate properly with them. As a result, it may create several issues in the long term.

Furthermore, another reason is that native people may not build relationships with other people. This is because native people judge other people by their language and this causes several mental problems such as anxiety and homesickness, In worst case children can face depression in the long term. In addition, student exchange students may face several difficulties to find suitable food or locate places because they all are in their native language. Thus, it may impact on individuals and society in the long term.

In my opinion, understanding knowledge of native language can lead several benefits for people such as jobs and privilege by natives for adapting their languages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. While you acknowledge the social and practical problems, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, you mention 'practical problems' and 'social issues' but do not fully explore the nuance of how these manifest in professional or academic settings beyond general statements. The position is clear, but the supporting points are somewhat underdeveloped, relying on generalizations rather than detailed explanation. To improve, ensure each paragraph provides a concrete example or a more thorough analysis of the consequences mentioned, rather than repeating the same points about communication difficulties.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic logical progression. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'To commence' and 'Furthermore' are used, but the internal flow within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed. For example, the transition between the idea of 'native people' and 'student exchange students' in the third paragraph is abrupt. Additionally, some sentences are linked poorly, such as the final sentence of the second paragraph, which feels disconnected from the preceding argument. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'problems', 'issues', and 'things'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'discusses about agree side' (should be 'discusses the arguments for') and 'understanding knowledge of native language' (should be 'proficiency in the local language'). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and occasional word-choice errors limit the score. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to language acquisition and social integration.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('native people did not understand' instead of 'do not understand'), incorrect tense usage, and awkward phrasing ('this issue creates when people do not understand'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices and run-on sentences. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on consistent tense usage and refining sentence structure will help improve accuracy.

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

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