Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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)

Today, variety of different courses has increased for undergraduate students in all universities. These courses include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Both these views have advantages or disadvantages but i believe that advantages are much more important at that point.

Firstly, the main benefit of study in another country include interaction with other native people which enhance a student character. For example, when we study in another country, we explore different culture and more carrier opportunities. Other reason is that, doing a job during study is also crucial for confidence development. For example, work with seniors can build confidence which helps a student for future.

Secondly, there are also some disadvantages which encourage this idea. It involves the management issues of both work and study. For example, work load and study load can causes anxiety and stress which is not benificial for a student, cause failure. During undergraduation, courses are not eassy and more time is required for best results but doing a job is not helpful for better future. Another issue is the expensives of abroad study, which is also a nagetive point. For example, study in other countries can require a high cost of money, and all students can't afford which leads to study in own country.

In my conclusion, advantages outwighy

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to address all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or completing a work placement during an undergraduate degree. A position is presented, stating that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. However, the development of ideas is limited and somewhat repetitive, as seen when the writer states 'the main benefit of study in another country include interaction with other native people which enhance a student character' without deeper elaboration. Crucially, the length requirement of 250 words is not met, with the response cutting off abruptly at the end with an unfinished sentence ('In my conclusion, advantages outwighy'). Consequently, Task Achievement is penalised for under-length and incomplete task completion, placing it firmly at a band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response shows some organisational structure through the use of transition signals such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In my conclusion'. Paragraphing is attempted, with distinct sections for introduction, benefits, drawbacks, and a brief concluding marker. However, overall progression is hindered by simplistic and repetitive structural links, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous use of 'this idea' or 'Other reason'. Cohesive devices are sometimes inaccurate or mechanical. Furthermore, the essay lacks a fully formed concluding paragraph due to the abrupt ending. These issues reflect the descriptors for a band 5.0, where organisation is present but overall progression suffers and cohesion is faulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, featuring frequent word-choice and spelling errors that occasionally strain the reader. Examples include 'benificial' instead of beneficial, 'expensives' instead of expenses, 'nagetive' instead of negative, and 'outwighy' instead of outweigh. While the student attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'undergraduate students', 'work placement', and 'career opportunities', the range remains limited and minimally adequate for the task. Less common lexical items are either absent or deployed with noticeable spelling and collocational inaccuracies. This performance aligns closely with the band 5.0 descriptor for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and attempting-to-be-complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('variety of different courses has', 'study in another country include', 'work load and study load can causes') and missing articles ('study in another country', 'doing a job'). Punctuation and word form errors are also noticeable, such as 'study in other countries can require a high cost of money, and all students can't afford which leads to study in own country'. Although the meaning can generally be inferred, these persistent errors cause difficulty for the reader and prevent the score from reaching a band 6.0.

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

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