Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Do you think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages?

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

Student answer (Band 4.5)

Nowadays increasing number of university students and their basic requirement of doing side hussle and volunteering work has made serious concerns on other factors. to consider their top notch education without compromising and affecting the studies or assignment, by the part time work.

I totally agree with the idea of including the period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. speacifically the undergrads from abroad. reason being that when the students come here and starts their new life in new country they go through various other problems. and while studying they are busy most of the time, and balancing out the student life social life, trying to enjoy as well as getting to earn good grads.

however, when in the freshmen year they can figure out this all side hussle but when they complete the course and take there next step into the actual world where they have to earn for living can be any field but the struggle apears to be the same in all the departments. and when they do not get positive responses from the employer or not getting any other positive feedback or startup or anyting they want it becomes very hectic and tough pressurize situation for them.

In conclusion, if they have and pericular period where they can work as a placement while doing the undergraduate courses, this can help them in various way and open several option in the future. and encourage them to do better for themselvs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

Your position is stated clearly: you agree that placements or overseas study should be included, and you suggest they can help students prepare for employment and broaden future options. However, the response only partially addresses the question because it does not directly weigh advantages against disadvantages. The opening focuses on students’ side work and study pressures, while the later paragraphs discuss employment difficulties without explaining how a required placement or overseas period would address them in detail. There are no specific examples to support the claims. The response is also 236 words, 14 words below the 250-word minimum; 11 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop both sides of the comparison and support your position with a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some paragraphing, and the response moves from an opening concern to your position, then to employment challenges and a conclusion. This gives the reader a basic sense of structure. However, the progression is difficult to follow because the opening introduces side work and volunteering, which are not clearly connected to the required study-abroad or placement period. Links between ideas are often unclear, and transitions such as “however” do not establish a clear contrast with the preceding point. Several sentences run together, while the conclusion repeats the general benefit without drawing together a comparison of advantages and disadvantages. Organise the essay around a clear sequence—benefits, drawbacks, and your judgement—and use explicit links to show how each point supports your answer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to education and employment, including “work placement,” “undergraduate courses,” “employer,” and “actual world.” This gives you a basic range for discussing the topic, but much of the wording is repetitive or imprecise, and some errors make the meaning harder to understand. For example, “side hussle,” “top notch education,” and “positive responses” are either informal, misspelled, or too general for the argument. Phrases such as “open several option” also show difficulty selecting accurate word forms and collocations. Aim for precise academic expressions and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe the practical skills students gain and the employment opportunities a placement may provide, rather than relying on broad phrases such as “do better for themselves.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts some longer sentence structures, but control is inconsistent, and frequent errors sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. Examples include “when the students come here and starts their new life,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “when they complete the course and take there next step,” where the sentence structure and possessive form are faulty. Several sentence fragments and punctuation problems also occur, such as the lower-case sentence beginnings “to consider” and “and while studying,” and the long sentence beginning “and when they do not get positive responses.” These issues limit the range and reliability of the grammar. Practise building complete sentences with one main idea, checking subject–verb agreement, and using full stops to separate connected points.

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

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