Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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)

Some people believe the most prominent reason for learning an overseas language is to visit the country or even to travel. However another section of the society believes that their are other reasons apart from the one mentioned.

Overall, everyone should keep on learning somethng new throughout their lives as it boosts the intellect of a person. And learning a new language not only builds knowledge but also gives confidence if one is visiting a specific nation. If we know the basic communication skills in a foreign language it helps to avoid chaos alongside makeing the visit more fun and interesting. I remember there was a time when I visited Thailand a nd prior to my trip I loved watching Thai drama so picked up some basic communicational words and sentences, and it was fun to use my knowledge at few places.

Furthermore, People learning a language just for the sake of it tend to have a more wider perspective towards learning. They can use their knowledge later on if needed. For instance, if a child is taught a foreign language from a young age, when he grows up he can opt getting a degree in that language which will boost his academic credibility and provide him with better opportunities. Having known a new language give a person freedom to listen and watch songs and movies without using the captions, its a satisfactory feeling which allows the person to exquisitely concentrate on the movie or song rather than constantly transcripting the meaning in their head.

In conclusion, learning a foreign language for work or for other motives depends on their choices completely. But knowledge never goes to waste and one can always use it in some way or the other.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that foreign languages are learned solely for travel/work versus other personal or developmental reasons—and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are extended and supported with relevant personal examples, such as the anecdote about visiting Thailand after watching Thai dramas. While the development is generally clear, the reasoning occasionally borders on generalisation, and some points, such as the broader educational benefits, could be more tightly focused on the prompt. Nevertheless, the main requirements of the task response are met satisfactorily, corresponding well to the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile. We will award a Band 6.5 as the position is clear and ideas are relevant, though some minor under-development keeps it from a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Paragraphing is used, though the body of the essay tends to run together into two long paragraphs rather than being broken down into distinct analytical points. Cohesive devices are employed, but some transitions are slightly mechanical or abrupt, such as starting a sentence with 'And learning a new language...' or 'Furthermore, People learning a language...'. Referencing is generally clear, but pronoun agreement and logical signposting could be smoother. This level of organization and cohesive control aligns directly with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common items such as 'prominent', 'intellect', 'credibility', and 'exquisitely'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'their' instead of 'there', 'somethng' (spelling), 'more wider' (double comparative), and 'transcripting' instead of 'transcribing'. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is not impeded, and the range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, matching the Band 6 descriptors well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambitious structures like conditional sentences ('If we know the basic communication skills... it helps to avoid chaos') and relative clauses. However, there are persistent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including punctuation omissions (e.g., 'Thailand a nd' and missing commas after introductory phrases) and subject-verb agreement issues ('their are other reasons'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the essay from reaching Band 7. A score of 6.0 reflects this mix of structures alongside noticeable mechanical errors.

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