Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-27

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)

In contemporary society, students have been gave short gap or vacation. Some people contend students should acquire working experience during their gap rather than travelling. I completely agree with this statement. Therefore, the reasons and relevant examples will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, during the gap, people should learn different skills, familiar with skills and expand their horizon because gap is utilize a good way and when people completely focus on travel, they can disconnect from their work. For instance, in my country, during gap between higher education and primary education learns usually join companies or industry as a trainer. Consequently, they can gain work experience and honing their skills. In addition, it gives confidence and makes expert in short period of time.

Moreover, there are also other colossal benefits by working during gap. Working during gap provides people with sense of achievement and improve mental-well being on the ground that

when people stay with work , it gives early success and prevent from homesickness. In addition, travelling is also expensive having said that working give also salary as well as improve holistic development. For example, learners who spend their money on travelling, they get only mental peace and it is very costly , while working in industry , it would give salary and allow to discover their skills.

To sum up, although travel is essential for mental health and decrease stress, working have substantial advantages like lucrative salary, allow to honing skills, and can speed up process of the achievement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to address the actual prompt provided. The prompt asks about the reasons for learning a foreign language, whereas the essay discusses the benefits of working versus travelling during a gap year. This is a significant misunderstanding of the task. While the student maintains a clear position throughout, the content is entirely off-topic. Because the essay does not discuss the reasons for learning a foreign language as requested, it cannot be awarded a high score for task achievement, despite the clear structure and consistent stance on the irrelevant topic chosen.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'To sum up'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the logical flow is occasionally disrupted by grammatical errors and unclear referencing, such as the phrase 'gap is utilize a good way'. The use of linking words is present but often mechanical, which limits the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally limited and repetitive. There are several instances of incorrect word choice and collocation, such as 'have been gave short gap', 'learns usually join', and 'makes expert'. While the student attempts to use some academic vocabulary like 'contemporary society', 'holistic development', and 'lucrative', these are often used in contexts that are not entirely natural or accurate. The range is sufficient to express basic ideas, but the lack of precision and frequent errors in word formation prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. There are issues with verb tenses ('have been gave'), subject-verb agreement ('working have substantial advantages'), and sentence construction ('gap is utilize a good way'). The range of structures is limited, relying mostly on simple or slightly complex sentences that often contain errors. While the meaning is generally discernible, the high frequency of basic grammatical mistakes indicates a lack of control over complex structures.

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