Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-14

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)

People have different views about whether traveling or working are the only reason for learning a foreign language or there can be other reasons to learn it. While these two are the primary reasons to learn a foreign language, I believe that there could be other reasons behind it.

There are several reasons except travelling and working for learning a foreign language. Firstly, learning a foreign language can be someones hobby. Many people love to learn other languages out of hobby. Secondly, people learn foreign language for their work to communicate with foreign clients. For example, their are lots of employees from garments industries or multinattional companies, who need to communicate with their buyers. In order to do that, they need to learn multiple foreign languages. Lastly, there are lot of students who move abroad for studuies and learn the language of that country. This is on of the major reasons for learning foreign languages.

Despite the above arguments, it cannot be denied that traveling and working are the primary causes for learning a foreign langage. Most of the people learn foreign languages when they move abroad for work. Because, in foreign country it is impossible to communicate with others if someone doesnot know their language. For example, people who go to Japan to work, must learn Japanese. In addition, many people learn a liitle bit of foreign language for tavelling. It helps them to make the trip smooth by communicating with locals.

In conclusion, although working and travelling overseas are two of the main reasons for learning foreign languages, I would argue that there are other reasons too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and state your position: the introduction says travel and work are primary reasons, while the conclusion maintains that other reasons also exist. The examples of learning a language as a hobby and for study abroad are relevant, as is the Japan example. However, the discussion does not fully match the task’s contrast: the paragraph presented as reasons beyond travel and work also includes communicating with foreign clients, which is itself work-related. Several points are asserted rather than explained, and the view that travel and work are the only reasons could be explored more directly. To strengthen the response, distinguish the two sides clearly and develop each with a specific explanation or example. The length requirement is met; eight words copied from the prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “Lastly,” and “In addition” help readers follow the points, and the final paragraph restates your position. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the first body paragraph groups together ideas that do not all support its stated focus: communicating with clients is work-related, while study abroad is a separate reason. The opening sentence of the second body paragraph also signals a contrast, but the relationship between the two views could be made clearer. Use topic sentences that identify each side of the debate, and connect examples explicitly to the point they illustrate. This would make progression more logical and reduce reliance on lists.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “foreign clients,” “multinational companies,” “communicating with locals,” and “primary causes.” There is some variety in how you describe learning and using languages. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation and spelling errors are noticeable, such as “out of hobby,” “a liitle bit,” “tavelling,” and “multinattional.” “Foreign language” is also repeated frequently, and “work” and “learn” recur without much variation. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they make the expression less precise and polished. Check spelling carefully, use natural collocations, and vary repeated terms with context-appropriate alternatives such as “language study” or “acquire another language.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “While,” “although,” and “if,” and most of the argument remains understandable. However, there are some recurring grammatical errors. For example, “Many people love to learn other languages out of hobby” needs a possessive form (“as a hobby”), and “there are lot of students” is missing an article. In “Because, in foreign country it is impossible…,” the sentence fragment and missing article weaken accuracy; the idea could be joined to the preceding sentence and written as “because in a foreign country…”. There are also agreement and punctuation issues in “their are lots of employees …, who need…”. Aim for more consistently accurate sentence construction, especially with articles, clauses and punctuation, while continuing to use varied sentence forms.

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.