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)

Yes, I agree that living in a country where you have to speak a language that is not your mother tongue can cause serious problems. Learning a new language is always a hard task to pull off. You have to learn the grammar, structure of the language and many more local thing that you can't find online. You can't just learn the whole language overnight.

When you start living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language you may find communication very hard. If you plan to do job there you'll hardly find any job because of your poor communication. In most of the countries local shop owners look for people who can communicate in the native language to their customer.

Another practical problem people face living in a foreign country is they face so many scammer in the street. I saw a video where a Russian girl came to Bangladesh for a tour and a rickshaw puller asked for 500 BDT of fare from her where the actual fare was only 30 BDT. You will face this kind of issues everywhere especially in lower middle income countries. The main problem is you can't ask for help from locals because either you can't speak their language or they don't understand yours. Once I met a traveller who came from France and lost his phone in the Train while coming to Dhaka. He can't speak Bengali and his English was not understandable as well. So he was struggling to explain the incident to the police as well. I was present there, the policeman also struggling to understand the english because in his whole life he worked with people who speak only Bengali. So there was another gentleman who translated the English of the Frenchman to the police and the filed the case.

So I think if you plan to live in a foreign country you must prepare for those cases and try to learn the language as soon as possible. Yes, you don't need to learn all the concept at once but today or tomorrow you have to learn everything. Otherwise you will face the problems that you don't even know how to cope with.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the opening: you agree that living where a foreign language is spoken can create serious difficulties. You address both practical problems, such as finding work and being overcharged, and social or communication problems, illustrated by the French traveller’s difficulty reporting a lost phone. These examples make the response relevant and help explain your view. However, the discussion is weighted towards practical incidents; the social effects, such as isolation or difficulty forming relationships, are not explored in much depth. Some claims, including that people will face scams “everywhere,” are broad and would benefit from qualification. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation of its consequences and keep the conclusion focused on the extent of your agreement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, paragraphs presenting communication and practical difficulties, and a concluding recommendation. The examples generally follow the points they illustrate, so the reader can understand the overall progression. However, the second body paragraph combines scams, the language barrier, and the lost-phone incident, making it long and crowded. Some links are mechanical or unclear, such as “Another practical problem” followed by “So there was another gentleman,” where “another” does not clearly signal the relationship between ideas. Separate the examples into more focused paragraphs and use precise references and transitions to show whether each sentence adds a reason, an example, or a consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to discuss the topic and give concrete examples, including “communication,” “native language,” “scammer,” and “translated.” This helps convey your meaning, and the examples are generally easy to follow. However, several choices are informal, imprecise, or awkward for an academic essay: “a hard task to pull off,” “many more local thing,” and “face so many scammer” weaken the register and naturalness. Some phrasing also repeats general terms such as “problem” and “language.” Aim for more precise collocations and a consistently formal tone—for example, describe difficulties with employment or access to assistance rather than relying on broad expressions. Check plural forms and word choice when revising.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “If you plan to do job there…” and a longer account of the traveller’s experience. Most of the meaning remains understandable, and the examples are communicated clearly. Some grammatical errors occur, particularly with articles, agreement, and verb forms: “do job” needs an article, “local shop owners look” is followed by the singular “their customer,” and “the policeman also struggling” lacks a finite verb. Tense control also slips in “He can’t speak Bengali” while recounting a past event. Review these patterns and punctuate long sentences carefully. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make the argument easier to read.

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.