Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16
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 NEED TO GIVEN A CHANCE TO CHILDREN TO GO OUTSIDE FOR THEIR STUDIES OR FOR WORK PLACEMENT. ACCORDING TO ME, THIS HAS MORE POSITIVE POINTS THAN DWAR BACKS.
IF THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS GO OUTSIDE FROM THEIR NATIVE COUNTRY FOR WORK OR FOR STUDY THEY BUILT THEIR CONFIDENCE AND LEARN ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES CULTURE AS WELL. FOR EXAMPLE,MOST OF STUDENTS WENT TO CANADA FOR THEIR HIGER EDUCATION,OVER THEIR THEY LEARN OTHER LANGUAGES AND SO MANY OTHER SKILLS AS WELL. THEY CAN KNOW HOW TO HANDLE OR MANAGE THEIR TIME AND MONEY. HOW TO HANDLE THEIR PROBLEMS AND HOW THEY CAN SOLVES THEM
ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME STUDENTS FEEL HOMESICKNESS WHEN THEY GO OUTSIDE FROM THEIR COUNTRY, BECAUSE THEY NEVER WENT OUT WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS.THEY FEEL DIFFICULT TO GO OUTSIDE WITHOUT THEIR PARENTS SUPPORT. FOR EXAMPLE, LAST YEAR MY FRIEND GOT CHANCE TO DONE THEIR WORKPLACEMENT IN CANADA, SHE BECOME ILL AND THEIR UNIVERSITY SENT HER BACK BECAUSE SH WAS NOT ATTENDING ANY CLASS OVER THERE. SHE LOST HER CONFIDENCE AS WELL AFTER THAT TRIP. MOREOVER, IT CAN BE MORE EXPENSIVE, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR TRAVEL , FOR HOME RENT FOR FOOD AS WELL.SOME STUDENTS DOSE NOT ABLE TO WORK AND STUDY SIDE BY SIDE.
IN CONCLUSION, UNIVERSITY STUDENTS NEED A CHANCE TO GO OUTSIDE FROM THEIR COUNTRY TO DO THEIR STUDY OR FOR WORKPLACEMENTS, BUT ONLY IF THEY WANT, DON'T SEND THEM FORCFULLY. SO AT THE END THIS STATEMENT HAVE SOME ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES AS WELL.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or completing a work placement during undergraduate courses, and the writer clearly states a personal position in the introduction: "ACCORDING TO ME, THIS HAS MORE POSITIVE POINTS THAN DWAR BACKS." However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and relies heavily on generalisations and personal anecdotes rather than fully extended academic arguments. For instance, the discussion on advantages mentions building confidence and learning culture, but the supporting examples remain basic. The conclusion adds a slight caveat ("only if they want, don't send them forcfully"), which slightly shifts the earlier position, but overall, the task is adequately addressed for a Band 5.5 or 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organised into four paragraphs: an introduction, an advantage paragraph, a disadvantage paragraph, and a conclusion. There is a basic overall progression of ideas, aided by transition signals such as "IF THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS...", "ON THE OTHER HAND,", and "IN CONCLUSION,". However, paragraphing and logical flow are hindered by the use of all-caps text throughout, which makes the structure feel more monolithic and less visually managed. Furthermore, cohesive devices within paragraphs are occasionally mechanical or repetitive, and referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the ambiguous pronoun use in "THEY CAN KNOW HOW TO HANDLE OR MANAGE THEIR TIME... HOW TO SOLVES THEM." Overall organisation meets the criteria for Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary suitable for discussing university education and travel, such as "higher education," "work placement," "confidence," and "homesickness." However, there are numerous noticeable lexical errors, incorrect word forms, and spelling mistakes throughout the text, such as "DWAR BACKS" instead of drawbacks, "HIGER" instead of higher, "OVER THEIR" instead of over there, and "FORCFULLY" instead of forcefully. These persistent lexical inaccuracies and restricted vocabulary breadth place the response firmly at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using conditional clauses such as "IF THE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS GO OUTSIDE..." and concessive clauses. However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and articles. Examples include "ALL UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE NEED TO GIVEN A CHANCE," "MOST OF STUDENTS WENT," "SOME STUDENTS DOSE NOT ABLE TO WORK," and "THIS STATEMENT HAVE SOME ADVANTAGES." Punctuation is also erratic, notably with missing periods, comma splices, and the use of all-capital letters for the entire text. These frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and reflect a Band 5.0 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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