Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-18

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 in a country where people speak a foreign language can create both social and practical difficulties. I largely agree with this statement because language barriers can affect communictaion, employment and everyday activities although this can be reduceed with time and support.

One major problem is the difficulty of communicating with local people. people who cannot speak local language fluently they have to suffer from the situation where you can't make a friends, participate in community activities or understand any social customs. As a result, they may feel isolated and find it difficult to develop a sense of belonging. there are also several practical problems language ability is often important while you are finding employment since it require regular communication with local customers.For instance if UK immigrant is going to France for Bachelors and don't know their language so it's challenging to survive there on daily basis.

However, these difficulties are not in the hospitals or government offices because they know that people are coming from different nations. Moreover people can improve their language skills by attending a courses. Practising with native speakers and communicating regularly in daily life can enhance your language skills. Many countries also provide translation services and specific language programmers for the newcomers, which can make easier to adjust in new natio

In conclusion living in a country where a foreign language is compulsory can cause significant

social and practical problems, especially at the beginning. Nevertheless, these difficulties can be overcome through language learning and appropriate support.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both social and practical problems related to living in a country with a foreign language, and clearly states a position of partial agreement. Main ideas are presented, such as communication barriers, employment challenges, and institutional support. However, some ideas are under-developed and lack extension. For instance, the example 'if UK immigrant is going to France for Bachelors and don't know their language' is somewhat confused and brief. Furthermore, there is a minor tendency to over-generalise regarding hospitals and government offices. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance established in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised, separating distinct points like social problems, practical challenges, and mitigating factors. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'There are also several practical problems language ability is often important...' lacks proper punctuation and cohesive linking. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as shifting abruptly between pronouns ('people who cannot... they have to suffer... where you can't make a friends'). These limitations place the response firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating functional terms like 'social problems', 'practical difficulties', 'isolation', and 'translation services'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('communictaion', 'reduceed', 'programmers', 'natio') and word choice inaccuracies, such as 'attending a courses' instead of 'courses'. Less common lexical items are attempted but occasionally mishandled. Communication remains clear despite these errors, matching the descriptive criteria for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writing features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinating clauses with words like 'although', 'since', and 'which'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several run-on sentences and punctuation issues, such as missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences ('people who cannot...', 'there are also...') and missing periods between independent clauses. Faulty structures also appear, such as 'where you can't make a friends' and 'which can make easier to adjust'. These errors rarely impede communication entirely, earning a Band 5.5.

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