Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-12

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)

Living a life in a country where every individual has to speak a foreign language is very difficult for them; it causes and practical issues such as in business deals, markets, and in community. I strongly agree with this notion because it creates a dilemma for people and makes their lives problematic. All the causes and their effects will be discussed in the forthcoming paragraphs with valid examples.

To commence with, living in a country that requires to speak only foreign languages such as English, Spanish, German is very hard to speak in everyday life for foreigners. Although when people have very little knowledge about this language that creates several problems for them. To explain further, when individuals go to the market and want to purchase something but they do not know how to tell and how to ask, they feel anxious and unconfident. It results in their inability to purchase the things due to language barriers. For example, Indian people cannot talk German and other languages; so they do not prefer to visit and stay there. Therefore, speaking unfamiliar languages in the country creates practical problems of daily life.

Furthermore, despite knowing another language and dealing with social problems is one of the biggest dilemmas. When people from India go to China and they want to talk to their neighbours, due to language barrier they could not understand what is the other person wants to tell them, so it creates social problems. People could not socialize with peers, colleagues and neighbours. However, some local people tease them and; it results in reduction in socialism. For example, a survey conducted by the University of London indicates that almost 60 percent of people could not understand other languages, because when they want to speak language they may feel struggle and others tease them.

To recapitulate, although learning and speaking multiple languages is predominantly important, I believe that all countries should use their national language to speak and communicate in their country. Consequently, it will not create any social and practical problems in particular country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position throughout, agreeing with the prompt that living in a foreign language country causes social and practical problems. Ideas are generally extended and supported with examples, such as Indian people visiting Germany or China and experiencing difficulties with shopping or socialising. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise, such as claiming that 'Indian people cannot talk German and other languages,' and some supporting details lack depth or precision. For instance, the reference to a survey by the University of London is somewhat vague. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it at a Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, and body paragraphs that follow a logical sequence. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different points, starting with practical issues and moving on to social problems. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the transitional phrase 'To commence with' is used, but other cohesive devices are awkward or repetitive, such as 'To explain further' followed closely by 'Furthermore'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in the sentence 'When people from India go to China and they want to talk to their neighbours, due to language barrier they could not understand what is the other person wants to tell them,' where pronoun reference and clause structures cause tracking issues.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'dilemma', 'forthcoming', and 'socialism' (though the latter is used inaccurately here to mean socialisation). There are several noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form, such as 'causes and practical issues' instead of 'causes practical issues', 'requires to speak' instead of 'requires speaking', and 'could not talk German' instead of 'cannot speak German'. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical inadequacies and inappropriate word formations occasionally cause mild strain for the reader, fitting the Band 5 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing dependent clauses introduced by 'although', 'when', and 'because'. However, frequent grammatical errors occur throughout the text, particularly with verb tense consistency, infinitive/gerund patterns, and punctuation. Examples include 'living in a country that requires to speak only foreign languages', 'due to language barrier they could not understand', and 'local people tease them and; it results in'. Punctuation errors, such as the semi-colon misuse before 'it results', are also evident. While meaning is generally conveyed, the frequency of errors places this in the Band 5 range.

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

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