Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-15

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 undeniable fact, that living in a foreign country must require fluency and perfection in the language which is native to the country or else the individual faces many difficulties in day to day life such as language barrier , communication difficulty and many more obstacles so therefore, i strongly agree to the extent that living in a country where we have to speak foreign language can cause serious social and practical problems.

Back then in the year 2010 when i visited saudi arabia for an trip with my family i faced simliar kind of problems to communicate with the native people, so we decided to use an translator app for our daily communication needs as we were staying in the saudi arabia for an month it helped us alot because we could not able to speak there native arabic language.

Furtherly, after reaching back to india we our family decidede to learn foreign languages specially arabic as our many relatives belongs to middle eastern regions such as yemen, saudi arabia , oman , qatar etc.. then we took arabic classes and got an certified for learning arabic language that helped us alot

later in 2022 by the end of december we planned an another trip to jordan, after reaching there we were able to talk confidently , we shared our talks with the native people of jordan and visited many public places where we talked in arabic language

Therefore, to conclude this i strongly agree to the extent that living in a country where we have to speak foreign language can cause serious social and practical problems as we underwent in saudi arabia during our first international trip.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you strongly agree that living where a foreign language is spoken can create social and practical difficulties. The Saudi Arabia example is relevant and shows a practical communication problem, while the later Jordan trip illustrates how learning Arabic improved interaction. However, the response only partly develops the task: it focuses mainly on your personal travel experiences and gives limited explanation of the wider social problems, such as isolation, difficulty forming friendships, or barriers to work and services. The discussion of learning Arabic also shifts toward the benefits of language study rather than explaining the problems in depth. To strengthen the response, explain both social and practical effects and connect each example directly to your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has an overall sequence that is easy to follow: an introduction, experiences in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and a concluding statement. Time markers such as “Back then in the year 2010,” “Furtherly,” and “later in 2022” help signal the order of events. However, the progression is largely chronological rather than organised around the task’s two main issues, social and practical problems. Some links are mechanical, and the long opening sentence combines several ideas without clear boundaries. The paragraph about taking Arabic classes also needs a clearer connection to the argument. Grouping ideas by problem type and using clearer transitions between claims and examples would make the organisation more effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “language barrier,” “communication,” “native people,” and “public places,” so the main meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the reader work to interpret your meaning. Examples include “an translator app,” “got an certified,” and “shared our talks.” There is also repetition of “foreign language,” “Arabic language,” and “alot,” rather than a wider range of precise expressions. Aim to learn common collocations and use more specific terms for the effects you discuss, such as social isolation or difficulty accessing services. Check spelling and word forms carefully, as these errors are noticeable.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the reader can follow the main events. However, the longer structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to cause difficulty. For example, “It is undeniable fact, that…” has an article and punctuation problem, while “we could not able to speak” uses an incorrect verb pattern. In “after reaching back to india we our family decidede,” the sentence structure and agreement are unclear. Articles and prepositions also need attention, as in “for an trip” and “staying in the saudi arabia for an month.” Use shorter, controlled sentences first, then practise combining them with accurate clauses. Review verb patterns, articles, agreement, and sentence punctuation.

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.