Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-08
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)
Yes l agree that every undergraduate students must spend a period of time studying abroad or doing a work placement because first of all the abroad study help to give international exposure which includes meeting with different types of people all around the World of different countries it's also helpful if the students or fellow want to start his or her own business also your in the study purpose better research and the practical knowledge its give it very much necessary for students. Also also by doing internship the students can gain experience and also eat significantly boost confidence of students because internationally you have to compete with different nations student to perform well in that field therefore it's give a competitive spirit to the students. Gaining practical exposure as a student is very much important so if the students do internship they get practical exposure to the market of the world and understand the demands. Therefore it have both disadvantage and advantage so firstly I want to say about the disadvantages like many people can't afford going abroad because of the personal reason like financial conditions and have many advantages to like for example it gives firstly international exposure competitive spirit and also it help doing research better and at last it give the practical knowledge of their field to the students which the student can't get by reading only books or theories so abroad exposure and workplacement are very much important for undergraduate students to be ready for the world
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or work placements. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you mention benefits like 'international exposure' and 'practical knowledge', these points are repetitive and lack specific examples or depth. The discussion of disadvantages is very brief, mentioning only financial constraints, which prevents a balanced argument. The position is clear, but the overall structure lacks the depth required for a higher band. To improve, you should dedicate separate, well-developed paragraphs to the advantages and disadvantages, providing concrete examples to support your claims.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay lacks paragraphing, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of ideas. It is written as one long block of text, which is a significant weakness. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices like 'first of all', 'also', and 'therefore', they are used repetitively and sometimes incorrectly. The flow of ideas is often disjointed, and the transition between the advantages and the disadvantages is abrupt. To improve, you must use clear paragraph breaks to separate your introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Additionally, try to use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences more naturally.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. You frequently use basic terms like 'important', 'study', and 'students'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'eat significantly boost confidence' (likely a typo for 'it') and 'fellow want to start'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is not sufficient to demonstrate precision or flexibility. To reach a higher band, focus on using more academic synonyms and collocations, such as 'global perspective' instead of 'international exposure' or 'financial constraints' instead of 'financial conditions'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it have both disadvantage', 'it give the practical knowledge'), missing articles, and run-on sentences. The sentence structures are mostly simple or compound, with very few attempts at complex grammatical structures. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with a lack of full stops to separate ideas. To improve, focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and practice using complex sentences with subordinating conjunctions like 'although', 'whereas', or 'because'.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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