Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-05

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 you have to speak a native language can definitely cause some social and practical difficulties. I agree with this statement to large extent, although I believe these difficulties can be overcome with time and effort.

One of the main problem is communication. People are not confident in native language in which country they are residing they find difficulty in expressing their feelings and thoughts and moreover they don't understand what others saying. This things sometimes leads to misunderstandings and make the feel isolated from society. For example, immigrants may find it hard to make new friends or take part in any social gatherings due to language barrier. There cab also be a practical problem in everyday life. People may have difficulty going to hospitals, dealings with banks, finding a job or finding a house. In some situations, not understanding the language properly can be quiet serious. For instance, if someone cannot explain their health problem clearly to doctor , they may not receive the right treatment.

However , i don't think these problems last forever. Over the time people may fluent in native language with their efforts and learning. They can attend language classes , practice with local people. With the help of this they improve their language skills , they usually become more confident and comfortable in society.

In conclusion , I agree that having to speak in a foreign language can cause both social and practical problems. Although I believe these difficulties are mostly temporary and can be reduced by learning the language and communicating with local people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position regarding the challenges of speaking a foreign language. The main ideas are relevant and directly answer the prompt, exploring both social and practical problems alongside ways to overcome them. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others; for instance, the social impact is touched upon with mentions of isolation and friendship, but the extension remains somewhat basic. The practical aspect is illustrated with examples like visiting a doctor or a bank, which helps substantiate the argument. While the position is maintained throughout, further elaboration on the long-term societal impacts would elevate the task response to the next level. Note that 10 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the official word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear, logical flow from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, starting with the admission of difficulties, moving through practical and social consequences, and ending with a hopeful perspective on overcoming these challenges. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like "One of the main problem" and "In some situations" are functional but rely on repetitive linking patterns. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence beginning with "This things sometimes leads to...", where pronoun reference is imprecise. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but more varied and seamless cohesive devices would strengthen the overall structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common vocabulary items such as "isolation," "immigrants," and "barrier." However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice, word form, and spelling. For instance, the prompt refers to a "foreign language," but the student frequently writes "native language" where "foreign language" or "second language" is intended, which creates confusion in meaning. Other lexical slips include "One of the main problem" (pluralisation error in a lexical structure), "quiet serious" instead of quite serious, and "Over the time people may fluent" instead of become fluent. These errors indicate a limited precision in vocabulary control and collocation, keeping the lexical score at this level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures such as conditional clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., "if someone cannot explain their health problem clearly to doctor, they may not receive the right treatment"). There are, however, some recurring errors in grammar and punctuation. Article usage is frequently inconsistent, as seen in "to doctor" instead of to a doctor and "due to language barrier" instead of a language barrier. Prepositions and verb forms also show instability, such as "dealings with banks" instead of dealing with banks and "Over the time people may fluent" omitting the necessary verb. Despite these issues, the errors rarely impede overall communication, and the meaning of the sentences remains clear throughout the essay.

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