Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-11
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)
All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying foreign or doing a work placement.
In my opinion i agree that this have advantage over disadvantage.
on one hand all university should include a period of time spent studying abroad and aslo doing work because of many students went to abroad and doing part time work.moreover,they doing their study and help their family.Study abroad is much difficult for a student because they stay in the rent house or room and make food for their self for instance,when i get opportunity i will go to abroad and do my study and doing part time work and help my family because i have come from middleclass family so its difficult for my family to survive.
On the other hand there is some disadvantages it's because some students go to abroad and not doing their study and cannot continue furthermore they illegally stay there likewise,some people doing this things and get catch there.For instance i talk about my country so many students went to abroad illegally and doing work there and earn so much money for their self and their family however,nowadays several countries get strict action against this students who did this type of work.
All the higher education courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or work placement.spending studying abroaad always strict but surviving there is not bad
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
You give a relevant opinion—“i agree that this have advantage over disadvantage”—and mention both potential benefits and drawbacks, including helping one’s family and the risk of students neglecting their studies. However, the response only minimally answers whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages: the opening position is not clearly explained, and the conclusion does not make a definite comparison. The examples focus largely on students going abroad to work, including illegally, rather than on the value of a planned university study-abroad period or work placement. The response is 201 words, below the 250-word minimum; 32 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop relevant reasons and examples, and state clearly which side outweighs the other.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
The response has a basic overall shape: an introduction, a paragraph beginning “on one hand,” a contrasting paragraph beginning “On the other hand,” and a final sentence. These markers help the reader recognise that you are presenting two sides. However, the ideas within paragraphs are not consistently ordered or connected, and some links are difficult to follow—for example, the discussion moves from studying abroad to rent, cooking, family finances, and then illegal work. Connect each example directly to the point it supports, and use clearer referencing so readers can tell who “they” and “this students” refer to. The conclusion repeats the topic but does not bring the argument together. A clearer progression from position, to supported reasons, to a decisive conclusion would improve coherence.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “work placement,” “part time work,” “illegally,” and “strict action,” so the main subject is generally recognisable. However, the range is basic and several phrases are repeated, particularly “go to abroad,” “doing work,” and “their family.” Some word choices or combinations are unclear or unnatural, such as “studying foreign,” “stay in the rent house,” and “get catch there”; spelling errors such as “aslo” and “abroaad” also reduce accuracy. These limitations sometimes make the reader work to understand your meaning. Build a more precise set of expressions for academic study and employment, and check spelling and common word combinations when revising.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
You attempt to form longer sentences using connectors such as “because,” “for instance,” and “however,” but control is limited and errors occur frequently. For example, “i agree that this have advantage” has problems with capitalisation, subject–verb agreement, and number; “many students went to abroad and doing part time work” mixes verb forms and has an incorrect preposition. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also often unclear, as in the long sentence beginning “for instance,when i get opportunity.” Most structures are simple or joined into lengthy strings, so the range remains narrow. Practise accurate simple sentences first, then combine related ideas with controlled clauses, checking verb forms, articles, agreement, and punctuation.
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