Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-24

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 say the main reason for learning foreign languages are for travelling to other counters but some of them contradict with this statement and say this is not the main reason to learn foreign language.

In my opinion we should learn foreign language not only for travelling but for understanding the foreign cultures and communicating with people of that country, I will explain both perspective in below paragraphs with relevant examples and on my own experience.

First of all, learning foreign language in order to work or travel in foreign countries are essential for working and travelling, this helps us to understand the culture and traditions of foreign country and helps us to communicate with local people living there. For work purposes the language is often barrier to some people due to which they does not perform their work very well as they feel difficulties in communicating with other people in foreign country. Recently I also stuck in a situation when I was travelling to the Portugal on reaching the Portugal the only language beside from my mother language I know was English but when I go to work in Portugal few people understand English as majority of people speak portugese their local language so I face difficulty in communicating with local people as my work was to conduct survey on carbon emissions per person I had to talk to local people but I face difficulty in conducting survey, so people learn foreign language to overcome from this kind of situations.

Secondly, some people say learning foreign language has many other reasons like for understanding foreign cultures, traditions and their way of living. I agree with this statement that people should learn foreign languages not only for travelling and work but for understanding their traditions, cultures and their way of living. This helps us people to gain knowlegde about different countries and their traditions. This help people in work and as well as in travelling through foreign countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the second paragraph focuses on travel and work, but the third paragraph, which is intended to discuss 'other reasons,' largely reiterates the importance of culture and traditions without providing distinct, well-developed examples beyond general statements. The argument lacks depth, as the points made in the second and third paragraphs overlap significantly. To reach a higher band, you should ensure each body paragraph introduces a unique, well-supported perspective rather than repeating similar concepts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic logical progression. You use some cohesive devices like 'First of all' and 'Secondly,' but the transitions between sentences are sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For example, the phrase 'this helps us to' is used multiple times, which makes the flow feel slightly monotonous. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the opening paragraph where the connection between the two views could be more explicitly linked. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, distinct focus would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'main reason,' 'difficulties,' and 'good.' There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'contradict with this statement' (should be 'contradict this statement') and 'overcome from this kind of situations' (should be 'overcome these situations'). While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common or idiomatic language usage.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('the main reason... are', 'language is often barrier'), article usage ('the Portugal'), and tense consistency ('I also stuck', 'I face difficulty'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences that lack proper conjunctions or full stops. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic agreement and article errors, and try to incorporate more varied, error-free complex sentences.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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