Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11
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 5.0)
A majority of people believe that all university undergraduate needs to give a chance to go abroad for their studies or do their work placements. According to me, this has more positive points than draw back.
If the university students go outside from there country for work placements or for studies, they built their confidence and learn about other culture as well. For example, most of the students went to canada for their higher education, over there they learn so many new skills. they can get knowledge about how to manage there time and money. students can understand different type of language as well.
on the other handside, some students feel homesickness and feel diffecult to go outside without parents support. last year my one of close friend got a chance to done their placement in uk. when she was over their she awalys criad, because mised her home and their parents. she want back to her home without completed their placement she even lost her confidence as well. Moreover, It can be expensive, because you have to pay for travel, home rent, food and so on. Some students face problems while doing study and work side by side.
In conclusion, university students needs a chance to go outside their country to do study or work if they wants to go and they can hand both at same time. This has advatages and disadvatages as well.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| 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 expressing a clear position, but the development of ideas is limited. While you mention benefits like confidence and cultural awareness, the points are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. The negative aspects are supported by a personal anecdote, which is relevant, but the overall argument remains underdeveloped. Crucially, the response is 236 words, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. This under-length significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the argument, resulting in a lower score for Task Achievement as the prompt is only partially addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate (e.g., 'on the other handside'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'they' and 'their' which sometimes lacks a precise antecedent. While there is a logical progression from advantages to disadvantages, the transitions between sentences feel abrupt. To improve, you should focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to the intended nouns.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'positive points', 'go outside', and 'problems'. There are several spelling errors (e.g., 'diffecult', 'criad', 'mised', 'advatages') and word choice issues (e.g., 'hand both at same time' instead of 'manage both'). To improve, you should aim to use more academic collocations and ensure accurate spelling, as these errors occasionally force the reader to pause to understand your meaning.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'university undergraduate needs'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'she want back'), and missing articles. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several instances of lowercase letters at the start of sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar limits the score. You should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent sentence punctuation.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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