Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-22

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)

residing in a country and communicating in a new language can be problamatic when trying to build a connection and also for our survival . i strongly agree that it is very difficult to build a life in a place where we have to speak a language that we are not used to growing up.

it is not only about the foreingn language it is also about the new culture , different mindsets.

Initially , it would be a nightmare for anyone its difficult to do very simple tasks like getting groceries, getting a coffee . it is not easy to make friends as most of them see you as an outcast and mostly wanted to associate with people who knew their language. very few put in the efforts to take some time understand what we are speaking and communicate with us . its difficult to share our feelings or understand what they are feeling to understand them deeply there is always a language barrier. there are many practical problemls too its difficult to get a job . even if we get a job always the native speakers are encouraged to do the best jobs and get a promotion . its like always we are in a race of proving we can be better so there is no peace too.

in my conclusion its not easy to survive in a country where we have to speak a language of not our own its very difficult to sustain a living as not many people would be ready to socialise with a person who are not native and also we are doomed as there will be not many job oppurtunities .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt directly, presenting a clear and unambiguous position in strong agreement with the statement. The writer covers both practical problems, such as employment barriers and everyday tasks, and social difficulties, including cultural adjustment and exclusion. Ideas are supported with relevant examples like 'getting groceries, getting a coffee' and workplace discrimination. However, the development of these ideas remains somewhat generalised and repetitive, particularly in the conclusion where points are reiterated without introducing new dimensions or deeper analysis. To reach a higher band, the arguments could be more fully extended with specific scenarios or extended explanations. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay demonstrates a basic logical progression, moving from an introduction of the problem to everyday challenges, workplace issues, and a summary conclusion. However, paragraphing and structural cohesion are weak. The second paragraph is extremely long and unstructured, grouping multiple distinct ideas—such as grocery shopping, making friends, and finding a job—into a single continuous block of text. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate or absent, with heavy reliance on comma splices and run-on sentences rather than formal linking words. Paragraphing is not used sufficiently to separate distinct concepts. While the overall arrangement is just about coherent, these mechanical flaws in cohesion place the response at Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it features noticeable spelling errors ('problamatic', 'foreingn', 'problemls', 'oppurtunities') and informal phrasing. The range is limited, with repetitive use of words like 'difficult', 'country', and 'language'. While the student attempts some less common phrasing, such as 'outcast', 'language barrier', and 'sustain a living', inaccurate word choices and frequent spelling mistakes cause occasional difficulty for the reader. There is a lack of sophisticated or precise lexical items that would elevate the register to an academic standard. These characteristics align closely with the Band 5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a very limited range of grammatical structures. The majority of sentences are simple or poorly connected compound sentences, often joined improperly with commas rather than conjunctions or full stops. There are numerous punctuation errors, including missing capitalisation at the beginnings of sentences ('i strongly agree', 'initially', 'in my conclusion') and missing apostrophes in contractions ('its'). Grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('take some time understand what we are speaking') and awkward subject-verb agreement or tense consistency, are frequent. Although the meaning can generally be deciphered, the high frequency of basic errors prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.