Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-16

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 has been observed that, living abroad without knowing the local language can create problems like social and practical. I agree because many individuals might feel isolated and they may face difficulty on finding jobs.

Many people living in another country without knowing foriegn language language or being fluent in it. Due to this, people have difficulty making friends or talking to neighbours. Therefore, individuals spend their free time alone, which can cause depression and anxiety. For instance,when my friend lives in Russia at first it was hard for him to make friends because it was challenging as he was unaware of speaking Russain, Hence he mostly spent time also and some times felt isolated, later he learnt the language and became fluent which foster him by making friends. However, native speakers of different countries with draw talking to one who does not speak their language.

In addition, not speaking fluently local language can cause medical emergencies. As it is hard for people to describe their illness in foreign language, hence they suffer from it. Along with that, It is hard for many people to find job a abroad due to lack of language and fluency. For example, many people form Pakistan move to China for job opportunity nevertheless they find it difficult, as market in China requires fluency and language proficiency in Chines. Hence, many people become jobles or even waste a lot of money by going to other countries like China or Russia.

To conclude, I agree that living in a foreign country can cause severe damage if we don't know their language, from loneliness to finding a better job opportunity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that limited ability in the local language can create social and practical difficulties. You address both areas with relevant examples, including your friend’s experience in Russia and the challenges Pakistanis may face seeking work in China. The discussion of isolation is supported with consequences such as anxiety, while the employment point is also relevant. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others. The medical-emergency point is introduced but not illustrated or explained in detail, and the final example focuses more on employment than on practical communication in everyday situations. To strengthen the response, explain each main point more precisely and connect examples directly to the claim being made.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs on social and practical problems, and a conclusion that restates your position. This makes the main line of argument easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “Therefore,” “In addition,” and “To conclude.” At times, however, cohesion is mechanical or unclear. For example, “As it is hard for people to describe their illness… hence they suffer from it” combines connectors awkwardly, and the sequence in the Russia example is difficult to follow. Some references, such as “it” in “suffer from it,” are not precise. Use fewer, more natural transitions and make the relationship between each example and its point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “isolated,” “depression and anxiety,” “medical emergencies,” and “language proficiency.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “native speakers” and “job opportunity.” However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors sometimes make the reader pause: “foriegn,” “Russain,” “Chines,” and “jobles” are misspelled, while “spend time also” and “damage” do not express your intended meaning naturally. Some wording is repetitive, particularly references to language and difficulty. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations, such as “find it difficult to communicate” and “secure employment,” to make your vocabulary more precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning with “because,” “which,” and “as.” This allows you to explain causes and consequences, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly in sentence construction, verb forms, articles, and punctuation. For example, “Many people living in another country…” is a sentence fragment, while “when my friend lives in Russia at first it was hard” shifts tense and lacks clear punctuation. In “it was challenging as he was unaware of speaking,” the clause is not formed accurately. Practise building complete sentences and maintaining consistent past or present tense; also review comma use after introductory phrases and clauses.

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