Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-06
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 this contemporary era, there is a growing trend of people start to learn a foreign language for various purposes like traveling to other countries or to work in a foreign country. Critics contend that these are not the only reasons why someone should learn a foreign language. While learning a new language could help with traveling or increased career growth opportunities, I believe it also offer several other benefits aside from those two.
On one hand, learning a new language could provides travel and career benefits. One key advantage for traveling is boosting travel safety. Learning a foreign languages can let us understands and reads the local street signs, public transport maps, and different menus which keep us from getting loss or ordering the wrong meal or service. Furthermore, being a bilingual or multilingual professionals offer career growth or opportunities which allow them to communicate or work in foreign nations or multinational businesses which could potentially earn more than peer who only speak a single language. For example, in Quebec Canada. Majority of locals there use french as their daily communicating languages and knowing how to speak french language could work and communicate with locals which is a huge plus.
On the other hand, learning a foreign language could help improves brain health and mental power. Memorizing new words or rules and knowing other languages could exercises our brain like workout which delay brain aging and prevent
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the essay is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence in the second body paragraph. This failure to finish the argument significantly impacts the development of ideas. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the discussion. While the initial position is clear, the lack of a conclusion and the unfinished nature of the final paragraph mean that the task is only partially addressed. To improve, ensure all points are fully developed and that the essay includes a proper conclusion to summarize the main arguments.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay uses basic cohesive devices such as 'On one hand' and 'Furthermore' to organize ideas. Paragraphing is attempted, but the abrupt ending of the second paragraph disrupts the logical flow and overall structure. The progression of ideas is clear in the first half, but the lack of a concluding paragraph makes the essay feel unfinished. Referencing is generally clear, but the mechanical nature of some transitions limits the score. To improve, focus on creating a more balanced structure with a clear introduction, well-developed body paragraphs, and a cohesive conclusion that synthesizes the points made.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word-choice errors, such as 'communicating languages' instead of 'languages of communication' and 'keep us from getting loss' instead of 'getting lost'. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'bilingual' and 'multilingual', the overall range is limited. There are also minor spelling and capitalization errors, such as 'french' instead of 'French'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring correct word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'learning a new language could provides' and 'bilingual or multilingual professionals offer' (should be 'offers'). There are also errors in pluralization and article usage, such as 'a foreign languages'. The unfinished sentence at the end also contributes to the lack of grammatical control. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for basic errors in tense and pluralization to ensure the majority of sentences are error-free.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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