Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-27
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 extent of the individuals argue that working abroad and traveling around the world are the only reasons why someone learn a froeign language. While, other individuals argue that being multilinguel does mean its only for either working or traveling across the borders. To explain both the views, reasons are discussed in detail along with my personal opinion.
On one hand, some people has this opinion that if you want to go oversees either for work or travel, you have to learn foreign language only in that case. One significant reason is that "necessity is the mother of invention". This means that one would not learn or do anything untill there is a need to it. For example, one of my friends learn Italian, and the only reason she learnt the new language is that she has to move abroad for work, she thought it would be difficult for her to seek good opportunity in market if she would not be able to understand and speak the local language.
Conversely, majority of other people has different opinion, they argue that learning and kowning foreign lanugaue does not depends on the need only.
People learn languages for different reasons, some for opting it as a complete profession such as, being a translator or tour guider. Whereas, others may learn based on their interest, without any specific purpose. For example, my brother had learnt multiple languages since childhood, one clear reason behind this was his facination towards people who were good in speaking foreign langauges. Later, he transforms this skill or hobby into his profession and now he is working with few travel agencies and companies as a tour guider and translator.
All in all, in my view point, languages can be learn for different reasons, sometimes even without a reason, but just as a hobby, as in my brother case. Other than that, it's not always dependent on unique purpose of working or travelling abroad, rather there is a broader aspect of it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—that foreign languages are only for travel and work, and that there are broader reasons—while also presenting a clear personal opinion. Ideas are generally well-extended, such as the example of the friend learning Italian for work and the brother learning languages out of fascination. However, some arguments suffer from minor generalizations and slightly repetitive phrasing in the introduction and conclusion. Overall, the task response reaches a Band 6.5 level as all components of the prompt are appropriately covered and supported with relevant personal examples, showing a clear attempt to develop the arguments.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, following a standard introduction, body, and conclusion structure. The student uses basic cohesive devices adequately to guide the reader, such as 'On one hand,' 'Conversely,' and 'All in all.' However, referencing and transitions are sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'To explain both the views, reasons are discussed in detail.' Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different perspectives, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The lexical resource displays an adequate range for the task, attempting some less common vocabulary such as 'multilingual,' 'fascination,' and 'profession.' However, there are notable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'froeign' (foreign), 'multilinguel' (multilingual), 'oversees' (overseas), 'untill' (until), 'kowning' (knowing), 'lanugaue' (language), 'facination' (fascination), and 'transforms' instead of 'transformed.' These errors do not impede overall communication, placing the writing firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range, where spelling slips are noticeable.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the response. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('some people has this opinion', 'languages can be learn'), tense inconsistencies ('had learnt', 'transforms'), and missing prepositions or articles. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, they persist across most sentences, which prevents the score from reaching Band 6.0 and aligns more closely with Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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