Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-21
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 the modern world more and more people are learning foreign languages, and there is a unendable debate on this topic. There are people saying that the only reason people are learning new languages today is because they want to travel or work in a foreign countries. Others sya that these are not the only reasons why individuals shold learn a foreign language.
Both views mentioned above are true, but they do not get applied to every individual. Everyone who is learning foreign language have their own reason, and it can be anything.
On one hand, learning a foreign language will benefit you to get a visa for travelling and also for getting a job. For instance, if applying for a job abroad, having knowledge about that country's language and know how to speak it, automaticlly places you ahead of many candidates who applied for the same pasition. Similarly, speaking a foreign language could get you a travel visa faster, compared to a person who does not know how to speak in that language.
On the other hand, there are people out there who are not learning a foreign language just because they want to travel or work abroad. Some people want to learn it, because they heard it somewhere and found it very peaceful or romantic, a movie or tv series or even a game. Learning a new language may develope a motivation to visit that country, but it's not always the case. There are many other reasons because of which people are learning a new language, such as education. Students like to go in a foreign country for their higher education, it is very common nowadays, and they know that the best way to reach there is to learn that country's language. Some people likes to make friends all over the world, so that is why they learn different languages.
In my opinion, there is no spicific reason on which this debate can continue. There are many people out there, who have there own reason for learning a new language. Everyone has a right to learn new languages, there is no ristrections on that by the government. Therefore having this debate is a waste of time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that foreign language learning is solely for travel and work, and that other motivations exist—while providing a personal opinion. The student's position is clear throughout the essay. Ideas are extended with relevant examples, such as discussing how language proficiency places a candidate ahead in job applications or how exposure to movies and television series sparks interest. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise in places, and some arguments, particularly in the conclusion where the student dismisses the debate entirely, lack full development. Overall, the task is adequately fulfilled, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range, solidifying at Band 6.5 due to under-developed extension in certain body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is coherent overall with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different perspectives (e.g., 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand'). However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'There are people saying that...' and 'Both views mentioned above are true, but they do not get applied to every individual' display slightly repetitive referencing and mechanical cohesive ties. Paragraph transitions function adequately to guide the reader, but referencing nouns and pronouns occasionally lacks precision, leading to a Band 6.0 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrasing such as 'candidate', 'higher education', and 'motivation'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'unendable' instead of unending, 'sya' instead of say, 'automaticlly', 'pasition', 'develope', 'spicific', and 'ristrections'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they limit the score because precision and control of less common lexical items are inconsistent. This places the lexical resource clearly within the Band 6.0 category.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as conditional and relative clauses ('if applying for a job abroad, having knowledge...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'do not get applied to every individual', 'Everyone who is learning foreign language have...', 'Some people likes to make friends...', and 'have there own reason'. Subject-verb agreement errors and prepositional misuse are persistent throughout the response. Although these errors rarely impede overall communication, they prevent the essay from achieving a higher band, making Band 6.0 a fair and accurate assessment.
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