Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-11

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 often argue that the only reason for adopting a foreign language is for visiting and getting employement in a foreign country, while others argue that these are not the only reasons for learning a new language.This essay will discuss both views and highlights my opinion in conclusion.

On the one hand, those who believe in the first view argue that the only cause for learning a foreign language is to visit and get the employment abroad. The main reason is that, people who travel often and have their work in overseas want to communicate confidently in a foreign language. For instance, people who travel frequently or work in a foreign country may face embarrassment and difficulties if they do not speak the local language. Consequently, they do not get promoted in their workplace and also don't have the ability to talk to the local residents.

On the other hand, other argue that there are several other reason why someone should adopt a foreign language. Firstly, they feel more confident by knowing multiple languages, thus make overseas friends more easily. Furthermore, they have the ability to watch other languages movies, documantries and podcasts that help them to understand others people lifestyle and opinions.

In conclusion, although some people argue that the only reason for learning a foreign language is to travel or work abroad, while other argues that these are not the only reasons. However, in my opinion, this can be helpful for someone who want to visit frequently and have there job in other country, but it may have other benefits also, such as make friends much easily and learn other people lifestyle. So, everyone should learn

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a personal opinion, so the response is relevant to the task. The first body paragraph explains why travellers and overseas workers need a language, while the second offers other benefits, including making friends and accessing media. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the claim that workers “do not get promoted” is asserted rather than explained, and the benefits of media and cultural understanding are not supported with a specific example. Your opinion appears mainly in the conclusion and is not fully clear, especially because “So, everyone should learn” is left unfinished. Develop each view with a clearer explanation or example, and state your position consistently. The response meets the required length; 10 words copied from the task prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The signposts “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. Within paragraphs, ideas generally progress from a claim to supporting points. However, some linking is mechanical, and the conclusion repeats the opposing views before presenting your opinion. The relationship between ideas is occasionally unclear, as in “thus make overseas friends more easily,” where the subject of the result is not explicit. The final sentence also stops abruptly, weakening the ending. Use referencing more precisely, connect each supporting point directly to its main idea, and complete the conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “communicate confidently,” “local residents,” “multiple languages,” and “lifestyle and opinions.” These choices convey the main ideas, but the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce precision. “Adopting a foreign language” is not a natural way to describe learning one, and “other languages movies” is unclear. There are also misspellings such as “employement” and “documantries.” Repeated use of “foreign language,” “reason,” and “other” makes the expression less flexible. Build a bank of accurate topic collocations and check spelling and word forms; for example, use “learn a foreign language,” “employment abroad,” and “films in other languages.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if they do not speak the local language” and a contrast introduced by “although.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, sentence construction, and punctuation sometimes make the reader pause. Examples include “other argue” and “other argues,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “Firstly, they feel more confident by knowing multiple languages, thus make overseas friends,” which lacks a clear grammatical link between the two actions. The introduction also runs two sentences together after “language.” The final clause, “So, everyone should learn,” is incomplete. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete sentence patterns, then proofread punctuation and sentence endings.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.