Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-29

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 concluded that, surviving in an abroad countries create social anxiety and also affect the working conditions. I disagree this, due to the fact that many people who move to foreign places often stay there without any language barrier.

Students or other people who migrate to other nations knew the language requirements and prepare for it proactively. After reaching to basic level in that language, they get ready to make living in that specific country. Although, communication might be little short but after being in that environment it becomes easy to find opportunities and grow connections. For example, my elder brother started learning german before moving to germany . And after few months passed he made many friends and is now working as a journalist.

On the other hand, people contend that living in foreign countries affects social life and earning becomes complicated due to language issue. This is because, people move to the places without knowing the language that native speakers use. Most of them end up being isolated from the society and get depressed. For instance, a friend of mine went to japan hoping for good connections and job, after moving there he was unable to make any interaction with people leading him to come back home after spending huge amount of money.

In conclusion, people moving other countries should be prepared with the native language of that place they are moving. With this keeping in mind, they will be socially connected and work there without any problems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt directly, presenting a clear position that the student disagrees with the statement. Ideas are supported with relevant examples, such as the student's brother who learned German and successfully moved to Germany. However, some arguments lack deep development, tending to generalize experiences. For instance, the transition from language preparation to integration is stated rather than fully explored. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are addressed with a consistent position throughout, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range. A score of 6.5 is appropriate here because while the position is clear and supported, the development of ideas remains slightly limited and could be pushed further for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, including an introduction, body paragraphs addressing both sides of the issue, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in phrases like 'With this keeping in mind'. Paragraph logical progression is generally maintained, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to truly reach a Band 7 level. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is awarded as the essay shows clear organization overall, but cohesive links are occasionally awkward or repetitive.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'proactively', 'isolated', and 'depressed'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'surviving in an abroad countries' instead of 'living abroad' or 'living in a foreign country', and 'made many friends' versus 'built a network'. Spelling and word-form errors also appear, for example, 'german' and 'japan' instead of capitalized proper adjectives/nouns, and 'after few months passed'. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 6.0 category, where the lexical range is sufficient for the task but contains noticeable errors in word choice and form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'Students or other people who migrate to other nations knew...' and 'Although, communication might be little short...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several errors in article usage, tense consistency, and prepositions, such as 'I disagree this' instead of 'I disagree with this', 'After reaching to basic level' instead of 'After reaching a basic level', and 'after moving there he was unable' creating a comma splice. While these errors do not impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the essay from achieving a Band 7. A score of 6.0 is well-suited, reflecting a mix of sentence structures with frequent errors that remain manageable for the reader.

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

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