Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-04

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 5.0)

In contemporary era, all universities ought to incorporate a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement with undergraduate courses. The merits surpass the demerits. My stace is discuss further with relevant examples.

Let's discuss advantages, the foremost one is learning about studying abroad would improves pupils intellectual development. To elaborate it, they can learn about how education system differ in foreign countries as compare to their native place. Also, students would be aware of the process of admission as well as documentation. For example, IELTS, PTE and TOEFL are one of the most mandatory exams that scholars should need to clear before plan for studying abroad. As a result, they can prepare for that in their earlier age.

Moreover, it is beneficial for students cognitive development. To explain it, they can choose the right path and make growth in their career because they have been getting enough information for many years. Additionally, pupils can focus on build their skills in a particular work. As a result, they would get prior chance for job and employment.

However, there are some drawbacks too, students may distract from their curriculum because they turn out their focus on researching regarding to studying abroad. Hence, it cause effect of reduce their academic performance.

To conclude, the benefits are more convenient for pupils because consider a period of time for discussion about studying foreign is make aid to buid good intellectual as well as cognitive developement. Also, they are able to select a right path for future. In contrast, it may be cause effects like distruction, bad result and academic performance.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is limited. The arguments regarding 'intellectual development' and 'cognitive development' are repetitive and lack depth, often relying on vague assertions rather than concrete reasoning. The discussion of disadvantages is brief and lacks sufficient elaboration to balance the essay effectively. To improve, you should focus on providing more specific examples and explaining the 'why' and 'how' behind your points, rather than simply listing them. The conclusion is somewhat repetitive and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, phrases like 'To elaborate it' and 'To explain it' are used repetitively. Some transitions, such as 'In contrast, it may be cause effects like distruction', are awkward and do not effectively link the ideas to the previous paragraph. The progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by unclear referencing and repetitive sentence structures, which makes the flow feel disjointed at times. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of word-choice errors and non-standard collocations, such as 'make growth in their career', 'get prior chance for job', and 'turn out their focus'. Additionally, there are spelling errors like 'stace' (stance), 'buid' (build), 'developement' (development), and 'distruction' (distraction). To reach a higher band, you should work on using more sophisticated vocabulary and ensuring that words are used in their correct context and with accurate spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and attempts at complex sentences often contain grammatical errors. Frequent issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'studying abroad would improves'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'is make aid'), and missing articles or prepositions. There are also issues with sentence fragments and awkward phrasing, such as 'Hence, it cause effect of reduce their academic performance.' While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of grammatical errors throughout the text significantly impacts the overall quality and clarity of the writing.

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.