Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-01

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)

Although learning English is beneficial for the individuals who intend to work or study abroad, I believe that education, cultural understanding and personal development are equally important reasons.

Admittedly, English is compulsory for the person who has planned to travel or work abroad. Language helps the individuals to learn about their culture, history, food and lifestyle; Therefore, English understanding plays a crucial role to enhance the communication between the people from different countries. Similarly, work hold places also speak in English with their employees. For instance, foreign companies communicate in English with their staff, therefore the better language understanding will enhance their communication skill, as a result they would perform effectively in their work.

On the other hand, English is compulsory for the person who has planned to travel or work abroad. Several universities provide lectures and assignments in English so the international student can also be facilitated in studies. therefore, the students should be able to understand and speak English. To illustrate, better language understanding helps the individual to breakdown the language barrier to they can improve their underdoing level for academic assignments and task that will enhance their academic performance. Furthermore, the individuals who planned to meet their friends and relatives, they need to understand and speak English efficiently. For example, better language understanding enhances their communication to covey their point to the people from different countries.

Although both viewpoints hold their own considerable benefits, I would say that say that travel or work are significant reason for international travel, but it is certainly not the only reason, I believe that there are several other reasons such as, family visit, education and cultural exposure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the second and third paragraphs both focus heavily on the necessity of English for work and study, failing to clearly distinguish between the two viewpoints or provide a nuanced discussion. The arguments are somewhat circular, and the conclusion merely restates points without adding significant synthesis. To improve, ensure each paragraph introduces distinct, well-supported arguments rather than repeating similar points about 'communication' and 'work'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and mechanical use of cohesive devices. For example, the phrase 'English is compulsory for the person who has planned to travel or work abroad' is repeated almost verbatim in two separate paragraphs. While some linking words like 'Furthermore' and 'For instance' are used, the flow between sentences is often disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'work hold places', which disrupts the reader's understanding. Improving the variety of transitions and avoiding redundant sentence structures 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. There are several instances of awkward collocations, such as 'work hold places' and 'underdoing level', which suggest a limited grasp of natural English phrasing. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'facilitated' and 'academic performance', the overall range is somewhat restricted. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on learning more sophisticated collocations and synonyms to avoid repeating basic words like 'understand' and 'English' throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical errors are frequent and occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'work hold places'), incorrect preposition usage, and punctuation errors, such as the misuse of semicolons and commas (e.g., 'lifestyle; Therefore'). While the meaning is generally conveyed, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring consistent verb forms would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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