Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-17

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)

Learning a foreign language is a significant skill that an individual must acquire in the contemporary world. There is an ongoing debate where some people mention that learning a foreign language is necessary for traveling, while others argue that it is not the only reason, but there is many others. This essay argues from both stances, including the writer's opinion. Learning a foreign language can help individuals while travelling to fulfil individual demands. However, there are other reasons, such as getting opportunities and starting a new business.

The only reason for learning a foreign language is to travel. One of the ongoing trends in the current world is to explore foreign countries while travelling. A person who knows a foreign language can easily fulfil their own demands, including food, shopping, and vlogging. For example, Bhutanese people can go to India and easily fulfil their own demands due to familiarity with foreign countries, as India and Bhutan are neighboring countries.

However, the sole purpose of learning a foreign language is not only for travel. Learning a foreign language is to get as many opportunities as possible, including those opportunities that were blocked by language barriers, such as education and job opportunities. For example, Bhutanese students de facto in Australia face difficulty in the beginning due to language barriers. So, learning a foreign language has many other benefits, despite travelling.

Regarding personal opinion, learning a foreign language has various benefits rather than travelling only. If individual knows a foreign language, one can set up new business in foreign countries; in order to gain customer one have to acquire certain level of foreign language. For example: Indian people has set up business in Bhutanese border town due to their knowledge of foreign languages. So there is many benefits of learning foreign language.

In conclusion, learning a foreign language can be helpful while travelling to fulfil one's demands. However, their is many attributes such as starting new businesses and getting more opportunities that were previously blocked by language barriers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of business opportunities and overcoming language barriers. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the examples provided, such as the Bhutanese students in Australia, are a bit thin and could have been expanded to better illustrate the broader societal or cognitive benefits of language learning. The position is consistent throughout, but the arguments could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'However', 'For example', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there is occasional awkwardness in the flow of ideas between sentences. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to better contrast the two perspectives. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear enough to follow without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'language barriers' and 'contemporary world'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of repetitive phrasing, such as the frequent use of 'fulfil their own demands' and 'learning a foreign language'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'de facto in Australia' or 'gain customer'. Expanding the range of synonyms and collocations would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'there is many others', 'Indian people has set up', 'their is many attributes') and article usage. These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and punctuation is generally functional but occasionally imprecise. To improve, the student should focus on basic grammatical accuracy, specifically pluralization and verb agreement, before attempting more complex sentence patterns.

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