Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that the only reason for learning a foreign language is in order to travel to or work in a foreign country. Others say that these are not the only reasons why someone should learn a foreign language.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, learning a foreign language has become increasingly important. some people believe that the main purpose of learning a foreign language is to travel abroad or work ,while others argue that there are several reasons to learn a foreign language. This essay will discuss both views and in my opinion , I strongly believe that learning a foreign language has mainy benefits such as travelling and employment.On the one hand , learning a foreign language is useful who want to purse higher education abroad and work in another country.when individuals visit a foreign country , they need to communicate and order for food and and ask for directions and understand different cultures. similarly, knowing foreign language can better create career opportunities .Many international companies perfer employees who can communicate with clients and colleagues. For example, people who speak English have more career opportunities and work in countries such as australia and united kingdom and canada . In addition, Oxford university has conducted research that when individual learning a international language can create better career opportunities understand different cultures as compare to without learning language. On the other hand, travelling and employment are not only learning a foreign language. Firstly,it helps people understand different cultures and traditions and lifestyles. Secondly, language learning can improve communication skills and increase confidence. As an illustration, students who learn foreign language can access a wide range of scientific information and knowledge.In my opinion, learning a foreign language is valuable for many reasons, not just travelling or finding good job abroad. It helps people gain knowledge, build relationships and understand world and traditions

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and give a clear opinion: the conclusion states that language learning is valuable for reasons beyond travel or employment. Relevant points include communicating while abroad, career opportunities, cultural understanding, confidence, and access to scientific information. This meets the task, but the two sides are not developed equally. The first view receives several examples, while some points on the broader benefits are listed rather than explained. The claim about Oxford University is also difficult to assess because no specific finding is given, and its connection to the argument is unclear. To strengthen the response, explain how one or two benefits work in practice and use a precise, credible example for each view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph beginning “On the one hand,” a contrasting paragraph, and a concluding opinion. Linking expressions such as “Similarly,” “In addition,” and “On the other hand” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes uneven: the first body paragraph moves from study and work to travel, then to a broad research claim, without clearly connecting each point. Some transitions are mechanical, and the long sentence about English-speaking countries is difficult to follow. Use clearer topic sentences and group related examples together; also make references such as “these” or “it” explicit so readers can follow the links between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “career opportunities,” “communicate with clients and colleagues,” “traditions,” and “scientific information.” These phrases help convey the main ideas, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several spelling errors and inaccurate or awkward word choices reduce precision, including “purse” for “pursue,” “perfer,” and “mainy.” Some expressions are also repetitive, particularly “foreign language” and “career opportunities,” while phrases such as “better create career opportunities” and “understand world and traditions” are not natural collocations. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose more precise phrasing, such as “expand employment prospects” or “gain insight into other cultures.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sentence with “when” and examples introduced by “who.” The overall meaning can usually be understood, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems make parts less clear. For example, “learning a foreign language is useful who want” is missing a clear subject construction, and “when individual learning” has an incorrect verb form. Articles and agreement also need attention in “a international language” and “when individual.” Several sentences run together, especially the sentence listing countries, and spacing around commas and full stops is inconsistent. Practise building accurate complex sentences, checking subject–verb agreement and articles, and separating complete ideas with appropriate punctuation.

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