Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-30

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 recent times, the world has been evolving and moving towards new changes and explorations including the urge of learning new language. A few people think that it is a great way to be at ease when travelling to new places with several traditions and culture however others have viewpoints like it broadens the horizon of getting to know about the history and adding it up to their skills. In my opinion, one should acquire new dialect in order to be comfortable when you are interacting with the people while trips around the globe, if you have that skill in you, it opens up the opportunities to get along with a group of individual sharing a same culture. Additionally, this makes your profile even more stronger in terms of competencies.

Lets suppose, if you are approaching for study abroad such as Germany for a specific program, if you are aware of German and you can understand or speak, it gives you advantage of being at conversational level where you can communicate with the students and teachers in case of any queries. If you want to hang out with friends on weekends, it is a lot more fun. If you dont get to know what they are saying you might get difficulting living in a country away from your hometown.

Therefore, grasping any tongue can benefit you and widens the chances in numerous ways. everyone should master at least one or two languages so they can hold up the capablities which helps them to be competitive in this world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views (that foreign languages are solely for travel/work abroad, and that there are broader reasons) and provides the writer's own opinion. In the introduction and body paragraphs, the writer acknowledges travel/work ease and then expands on personal development, historical awareness, and study abroad benefits. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat superficial. For instance, the example regarding studying in Germany is slightly repetitive and under-developed, relying on general statements like 'it gives you advantage of being at conversational level' without fully contrasting the two viewpoints deeply. Despite these limitations in depth, the core task requirements are met, and a clear position is maintained throughout the essay. This performance aligns best with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion, though the paragraphing could be structured more effectively (for instance, the main body is merged into large blocks that could be broken down). Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or awkward, such as 'In the recent times', 'Lets suppose', and 'Therefore'. Referencing and logical progression are generally maintained, but transitions between sentences can feel abrupt. For example, moving from the second view in the introduction directly into the personal opinion lacks a smooth connective bridge. Paragraphing is used insufficiently, as the essay is split into only three paragraphs. These features reflect the characteristics of Band 5.5 to 6.0, fitting comfortably into a Band 6 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'broadens the horizon', 'competencies', and 'conversational level'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'urge of learning new language', 'acquire new dialect' (languages are usually learned, not dialects), 'profile even more stronger' (double comparative), and 'difficulting living' (incorrect word form). Furthermore, spelling errors such as 'everyone' not being capitalised at the start of a sentence and punctuation flaws occur. While communication is not severely impeded, these vocabulary and word choice errors place the response firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional clauses like 'if you are aware of German and you can understand or speak' and 'if you dont get to know what they are saying'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in punctuation, missing articles ('in the recent times' should be 'in recent times', 'study abroad such as Germany' lacks necessary prepositions or modifiers), run-on structures, and awkward phrasing such as 'a group of individual sharing a same culture' (plural/singular mismatch). While these errors do not completely obscure the message, they cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 6.5. Therefore, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.

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

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