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)
The question given sounds quiet interesting:
According to my point of view the all universities undergraduated courses students should split their time period in studying and working abroad. Because according to me if the student work with his study this will help the student to take out their own expense instead of depending on others or their family. This will help student to deal with different type of hardships that will come in his life.
Every student that study abroad has to deal with the hardships through hardships the students learn new things no matter how the hard the life is.
Every students should learn from his parents how to deal with the hardships. Every parents should teach their childrens how to deal with the hardships when they go to study abroad.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5
You give a relevant position: you support including study or work abroad, and you offer one reason—that students can cover their expenses and become more independent. However, the response does not fully address whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages: no disadvantages are discussed, and the main benefit is only briefly explained. The repeated points about hardship and learning to cope do not develop a distinct argument or provide a specific example. The response is also substantially below the required 250 words, which limits how much of the task you can address. To improve, state your comparison clearly, explain both sides, and support each main point with a concrete example and further explanation.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
The response has a basic progression from stating your view to giving a reason and then discussing hardship. Some links are visible, such as “Because” and “through hardships,” but the ideas are not arranged into a clear argument, and the final sentences repeat the same point about parents teaching children to cope. The opening sentence does not help develop the answer, while the colon after it does not introduce a clear explanation. Use separate paragraphs for your position, advantages, disadvantages, and conclusion, and connect each paragraph to the question. Avoid repeating the hardship idea; instead, add a distinct point and show how it supports your overall judgement.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
You use a small set of relevant terms, including “study abroad,” “expense,” “depending,” and “hardships,” so the general topic is understandable. However, vocabulary is repetitive, especially the repeated use of “hardships” and “student,” and several expressions are unnatural or imprecise, such as “take out their own expense” and “different type of hardships.” “Quiet interesting” also appears to be an inaccurate word choice. This limited range makes it difficult to express more specific benefits or disadvantages. Build a topic vocabulary for independence, practical experience, costs, and cultural adjustment, and check common word partnerships so your meaning sounds more natural and precise.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple statements and longer clauses, for example, “Because according to me if the student work with his study this will help…” This shows an effort to connect ideas, and the main message can generally be followed. However, sentence structures are limited, and errors recur in agreement, articles, plurals, and clause construction: “the all universities,” “Every student that study,” and “Every parents should teach their childrens.” The opening colon and the sentence beginning “Because” also create punctuation and sentence-boundary problems. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and singular/plural forms, then use a wider range of controlled sentences, including clear complex sentences with appropriate punctuation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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