Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22

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)

There is considerable debate about whether people learn foreign language in order to travel or work in other country. While others believe that it is not the only reason to learn a foreign language. I believe that most people prefer to learn a particular language in order to work or travel compared to other reasons. this essay will discuss both the views before my opinion.

On the on hand, people learn a foregin language because they are moving to other country in order to work or travel so that it can be easy to communicate with other. Some people might not understand our language. Different countries have their own languages and learning them all can be complicated so if there is any requirements of learning a particular language they learn it. Like for an example, if I want to travel korea then I have to know basic words so that I can communicate with citizens and understand rules and regulations.

Nevertheless, it is not the only reason why people learn the language. Some people learn different languages because they have interested in learn and explore more about it. Like for an instance, many people like to watch foregin movies or tv shows, watching regularly can make them understand certain sentences. Furthermore, students learn a language to improve their speaking skills and find it more interesting.

From my perspective, most people prefer to a learn foreign language if they are planning to travel or work as it is neccessary for their daily interaction.

In conclusion, it is important to learn a foregin language as it can be beneficial for a future and can be more fluent at speaking. However, learning a foriegn language to travel or work might be difficult because it should there is a limited time to learn.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views (that foreign language learning is solely for travel/work versus other reasons) and clearly presents a personal opinion. The student's position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed, particularly in the body paragraphs where examples are brief and simple (e.g., 'if I want to travel korea'). While the arguments are relevant, they lack deep extension and analytical support, which places this performance firmly in the Band 6 territory according to the official descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, with awkward transitional phrases such as 'On the on hand' and sentence fragments like 'this essay will discuss both the views before my opinion.' Referencing and pronoun usage are occasionally unclear, and logical progression between sentences requires more careful linking to achieve a smoother flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'considerable debate,' 'regulations,' and 'beneficial.' However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'foregin' instead of 'foreign,' 'other country' instead of 'another country,' and 'interested in learn' instead of 'interested in learning.' These lexical inaccuracies and typos occasionally distract the reader, though they do not impede overall communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structure. Nevertheless, there are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage, such as missing articles ('travel korea', 'for a future') and incorrect prepositional phrases ('interested in learn'). The final sentence is grammatically confused ('because it should there is a limited time'). While communication is generally maintained, these persistent structural and grammatical errors prevent the writing from achieving a higher band score.

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

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