Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-27

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In the future, more people will choose to go on holiday in their own country and not travel abroad on holiday. Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 4.0)

Dear Aman,

I hope you are in cheerful spirits. I was very excited for the vacation plan that we had planned last month but i'm going to tell you with a sad heart that I am not able to make it happen.

Since, we planned this trip I started shopping for clothes, shoes, and I even told my family about this vacation. I already reserved a room in a luxury hotel for both of us, and also bought the tickets of the music show of very famous singer.

Unfortunately, my manager didn't approve my application for the holidays because the person who is supposed to cover my shift is hospitalised due to kidney stone pain. I can't explain to you how sad I am feeling right now to cancel this plan. I am really sorry that we have to cancel this trip, I don't want to hurt you but it was not in my hands.

However, if you want I can reschedule our plan for next week as we

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response fails to address the task entirely. The prompt asks for an essay discussing whether people will choose to holiday in their own country in the future. Instead, you have written a personal letter to a friend named Aman cancelling a vacation. This is a complete misunderstanding of the task type, which requires an argumentative essay, not a letter. Furthermore, the response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits your ability to develop any relevant arguments. Because the content is completely off-topic and fails to meet the length requirement, the score is heavily impacted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The text is written as a letter, which provides a basic structure, but it does not follow the logical progression required for an IELTS essay. There is no introduction, body paragraphs, or conclusion related to the prompt. While the sentences are linked in a way that makes sense for a letter, the lack of academic structure and the abrupt ending (the text cuts off mid-sentence) make the overall coherence very poor. Cohesive devices are used in a very basic, informal manner, which does not meet the requirements for an essay task.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is simple and repetitive, suitable for a casual email but insufficient for an IELTS writing task. Phrases like 'cheerful spirits', 'sad heart', and 'not in my hands' are informal and lack the precision required for academic writing. There is no attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary related to tourism or future trends, as the content is entirely unrelated to the prompt. The range of vocabulary is very limited, and the errors in word choice, such as 'tickets of the music show of very famous singer', indicate a need for significant improvement in collocation and phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The grammar is generally understandable but contains several errors. There are issues with article usage ('the music show of very famous singer'), verb tense consistency, and punctuation. The sentence structures are mostly simple or compound, with very little evidence of complex sentence forms. The text also ends abruptly, which is a grammatical and structural failure. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety in sentence structure and the persistent minor errors prevent a higher score. You need to focus on mastering complex sentence structures and improving your control over articles and prepositions.

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