Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-16
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 5.0)
Living in foreign country where one must communicate in non native language can cause a set of challenges. I strongly agree with this statement that language barriers generate both severe practical difficulties as well as social barriers within local communities.
On a practical level, lack of fluency in local language hinders day to day functionality like opening an bank account , negotiation a lease or seek medical care. As if we are not proficient in local language we miscommunicate symptoms to a doctor or not able to understand legal terms of contract which can lead to bear the consequences . Moreover this challenge directly effects on workplace too as we are not able to communicate in meetings and also demonstrate our qualification as which restricts our career progression.
on the other hand, social problems can limit ones growth in society as he may feel alone and disconnected because he may feel difficulty in expressing their opinion . Moreover cultural differences serve as another major barrier.
In conclusion living in foreign speaking country creates both social and practical hurdles.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position agreeing with the statement and touching upon both practical and social problems. However, the response is significantly under-length, containing only 178 words compared to the required 250-word minimum. Because of this, the ideas are underdeveloped and lack sufficient expansion or relevant examples from personal knowledge or experience. While the core arguments are relevant, the lack of full development and failure to meet the minimum word count limit the task response significantly. This places the performance firmly at a Band 5.0 level for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay displays a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. However, the paragraphing is somewhat inadequate, as the second body paragraph is extremely short and combines multiple points. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically, as seen with phrases like "On a practical level", "Moreover", and "on the other hand". Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting pronouns from "we" to "one" and "he". Progression is somewhat disjointed due to the lack of extended elaboration. Overall, the organizational framework meets the criteria for Band 5.0, where there is some organization but clear overall progression is lacking.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts some less common vocabulary relevant to the topic, such as "fluency", "functionality", "negotiation a lease" (grammatically flawed), and "career progression". However, there are notable lexical errors and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as "non native language", "an bank account", and "living in foreign speaking country". Spelling errors like "effects" instead of "affects" are also present. The vocabulary is minimally adequate for the task, but the noticeable errors in word formation and collocation place it at a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ("lack of fluency in local language", "seek medical care"), incorrect prepositional or infinitive usage ("negotiation a lease or seek medical care"), and awkward phrasing ("which can lead to bear the consequences"). Punctuation and capitalization are also faulty in places, such as uncapitalized sentence beginnings and extra spaces. Because attempts at complex sentences are often faulty and frequent errors cause some difficulty, the writing aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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