Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-17

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)

It is often argued that living in a country where you have to speak in a foreign language can cause serious social problems as well as practical problems. While some people believe that it can enhance your communication skills, I strongly agree with this because language barrier creates a great gap between communication, and it becomes even more difficult to survive in a professional life between the native speaker.

The main reason why I agree with this statement is that living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems. This is because even if you learn a new language, it is pretty hard to express your emotions in that language, and you are also sometimes not able to communicate to the other person what you really want to. There is also a research on this that a person, after a certain age, loses the ability to learn a new language. For example, if I have to go to Germany and I really speak German that well, there will be a huge communication gap, which can also lead to a problem of me not being able to land a desired job.

To some extent, I also disagree because nowadays, in this era, when the literacy rate is high and English has become an international language to communicate with people of different regions.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that learning the relevant language is very essential in order to remove the communication gap, and it also makes you a lot more confident when you interact with a native person, and it can really make you stand out amongst the other people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring both social and practical problems associated with speaking a foreign language in a new country. The student takes a clear position by strongly agreeing with the statement. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and uneven. For instance, the counter-argument introduced in paragraph three is left completely incomplete ('To some extent, I also disagree because nowadays, in this era, when the literacy rate is high...'), which prevents the argument from being fully realised. Furthermore, the example provided about going to Germany is hypothetical and slightly contradictory ('if I have to go to Germany and I really speak German that well'). Despite these developmental gaps, the core task is addressed well enough to secure a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with clear structural divisions, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. While basic cohesive devices such as 'The main reason why' and 'In conclusion' are used, referencing is occasionally problematic. For example, the sentence starting with 'This is because...' lacks a clear anchor. Paragraphing is generally used appropriately, but the third paragraph is a sentence fragment that breaks the logical flow of the text. Overall, the organizational structure is adequate to earn a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating attempts to use less common items such as 'enhance your communication skills', 'professional life', and 'native speaker'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'language barrier creates a great gap between communication' and 'if I have to go to Germany and I really speak German that well' (which contradicts the premise of struggling with a foreign language). Spelling is generally accurate, but the restricted precision and occasional awkward phrasing place this criterion firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures such as 'It is often argued that...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as missing articles ('survive in a professional life between the native speaker') and incomplete syntactic units, particularly in the third paragraph where the clause ends abruptly without a main verb. Punctuation is also problematic in run-on sentences like the conclusion. These errors occasionally cause strain for the reader, matching the requirements for Band 5.5.

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