Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-12

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)

Communication is the foundation of one's social and professional life. For humans, the most fluid way to articulate one's thought or information is using the complex lingustic structures built throught the ages of mankind. This is majorly influenced by the geographical location a person is born and grown up, their environment shapes this capability in them eventually forming a native language.

However, for any real reason be it academic, professional or personal an individual has to move out from their environement to a completely foregin place where their most imperative language skill becomes meaningless, they need to learn a new language as per their chosen place.

This leads to definite social as well as practical problems in day to day life of any individual.

For an instance a person who is completely new to a place has to manage their administrative work, things related to bank or financial accounts, daily groceries or even while travelling. At every stage they have this language barrier which severly restricts their activities and adversely impacts their mental health. Various researches have shown that lonliness stemed from social isolation originating from the fact that one can't communicate in the language the socitey functions from is a major cause of depression among young individuals.

Although, to a certain degree I am inclined to believe that this phase activates the human to do the imperative thing they are evolved for which is adaption. They learn new language, they start understanding the country's culture its people eventually finding a new home for themselves.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a relevant position: you agree that language barriers create social and practical difficulties, while recognising that people can adapt over time. The examples of handling banking, groceries and travel support the practical side, and the discussion of isolation and depression addresses social effects. However, the response does not clearly state how far you agree, and the final paragraph shifts towards adaptation without explaining whether this changes your overall judgement. Some claims, such as the reference to research on depression, are asserted rather than illustrated or explained. Make your position explicit in the introduction and conclusion, then develop each main reason with a specific example and a clear link to the question.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph describing problems, and a concluding paragraph about adaptation. Ideas are generally relevant and can be followed, with transitions such as “However” and “Although” signalling a change in direction. Nevertheless, the overall progression is not fully clear: the opening spends considerable space explaining how native languages develop, and the final paragraph introduces adaptation without resolving the position established earlier. Some sentences are overloaded, particularly the sentence beginning “For an instance,” which combines several examples and consequences. Use clearer topic sentences, separate practical and social effects, and make the conclusion directly summarise your degree of agreement. More precise links between claims and examples would also improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “administrative work,” “language barrier,” “social isolation” and “adaption,” and the meaning is usually recoverable. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause: examples include “lingustic,” “environement,” “foregin,” “severly” and “lonliness.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “the most fluid way to articulate one's thought” and “the society functions from.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations rather than elaborate phrasing, and check spelling carefully. You could use “express ideas,” “settle into a new country,” and “the language used in everyday public life” to communicate these points more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses and contrast structures, as in “Although, to a certain degree…” This shows an effort to vary sentence construction. However, several long sentences are difficult to control, and errors in sentence boundaries, articles, agreement and punctuation recur. For example, “This is majorly influenced by the geographical location a person is born and grown up” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “they start understanding the country's culture its people” needs clearer coordination and punctuation. The opening sentence of the second paragraph also runs on before reaching its main point. Build accuracy by dividing long sentences, checking that each clause has a complete structure, and reviewing articles and verb forms.

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