Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-03

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)

all university undergraduate courses should added a time limit of studying foreign or giving a place for work.

during studies it helps the candidates about the different exposure of their carrier and their relevent subjects. At the same time due to involvement of extra activities makes the students far from studies. In my opinion different subjects should be mentioned for candidates to gives practical knowledge about the subjects. in my perspective one of the best training about career forming is to give students huge oppertunites to face difficulties in spending study life in abroad because there not only study also take part in to earn their own expenses and lifestyle.one of the best instance they are use to do hard work and achieve whatever they want. Additionally the disadvantage about the consequences are students may stop putting efforts about their studies rather they only focus about the career, job etc. in jobs and career forming schemes every ones need a lot of attention and they will face tough routein infrastructure so that their should be avoid to place such courses during the regular studies. through all university students subjects should add foriegn study time rather than they firstly need to put all priorities on knowledge and then focus on practical preparation how they done it for their lives.in my opinion students should study first and then focous on their work plans

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. However, the position is somewhat inconsistent, and the development of ideas is limited. The essay fails to meet the 250-word minimum requirement, which significantly impacts the depth of the argument. While the student attempts to present both sides, the reasoning is often repetitive and lacks specific, well-developed examples. The conclusion is abrupt and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, the student should expand on their points with more detailed explanations and ensure the essay meets the length requirement to allow for full development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks clear paragraphing, which makes it difficult to follow the logical progression of ideas. The text is presented as a single block, which is a significant weakness in terms of structure. While there are some attempts at cohesive devices (e.g., 'Additionally', 'At the same time'), they are often used incorrectly or in a way that does not effectively link the sentences. The flow of ideas is disjointed, and the lack of clear topic sentences makes it hard for the reader to identify the main point of each section. Improved paragraphing and a wider range of linking words are necessary for a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. There are several instances of incorrect word choice and awkward collocations, such as 'added a time limit of studying foreign' instead of 'incorporate a period of study abroad' and 'career forming' instead of 'career development'. Spelling errors, such as 'oppertunites', 'relevent', and 'routein', also occur. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to express complex ideas with precision. To improve, the student should focus on learning topic-specific collocations and proofreading for basic spelling and word-form errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'every ones need'), sentence structure (e.g., 'there not only study also take part in'), and punctuation. The range of sentence structures is limited, relying mostly on simple or poorly constructed complex sentences. Many sentences are fragmented or run-on, making the text difficult to parse. To improve, the student needs to focus on basic sentence construction, correct verb tenses, and ensuring that subjects and verbs agree. A more careful review of punctuation would also significantly improve readability.

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

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