Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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 the undergraduate students of university should contains few of the time from thier courses for foreign education or job career lining. It is often argued that this strategy is beneficial or harmful. This essay will discuss both perspectives before concluding with my own opinion.

Firstly, university students should have some free time to be utilize in studying abroad or job placement. They should know that "where to apply", "what is the procedure?", "where to go?", "what is the criteria?" and "how much expense they required?". Different places contains different criteria, procedure and expenses. For instance, the crtitera of european countries contains IELTS with minimum 6.0 bands in all of the four tests and overall 6.5. If you want to go european countries for educational purpose, on the one hand if you have scholarship then your all the expenses will be saved, another hand if you can not get the scholarship than you should make a block account that contains minimum of thirteen thousands of their currency and you should earn money by part time jobs by your own.

Furthermore if you are tar getting the arabian country then there is no block account criteria.

There are numerous advantages for career building in abroad. There is a huge difference between your country currency and abroad currency. You can earn more in abroad. But the disadvantage is that, the initiual days will be very painfully to maintain your live, house rent, food and transportation.

In conclusion, I believes that some of the courses time of university undergraduate students should be utilize in abroad eduction and employment placement. It would be extremely advantageous for them in their future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, eventually providing a clear opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is limited and somewhat superficial. For example, instead of deeply analyzing the educational or professional benefits, the text digresses into logistical details such as IELTS band requirements, block accounts, and currency exchange rates. While these are loosely related to studying abroad, they do not directly answer whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in the context of a university curriculum. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack extension and focus, aligning best with a Band 5 or 6 response. Overall, it addresses the prompt adequately but suffers from under-developed reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, and an overall progression is discernible as it moves from introduction to body paragraphs and a conclusion. However, paragraphing and cohesion are frequently faulty. The second body paragraph starts with an abrupt transition ('Furthermore if you are tar getting...') and the body paragraphs themselves are somewhat disjointed, grouping disparate ideas like IELTS criteria, financial requirements, and currency differences together without smooth logical linking. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and cohesive devices are basic or misused. For instance, transitional phrases like 'on the one hand' and 'another hand' are awkwardly structured. These mechanical and sometimes inaccurate cohesive devices justify a Band 5.0 score for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses a limited and occasionally repetitive vocabulary range suitable for basic communication, but inadequate for a high-scoring academic essay. There are frequent word choice and collocation errors, such as 'contains few of the time', 'job career lining', 'expensive they required', and 'initiual days will be very painfully'. Spelling errors also occur, such as 'tar getting' instead of 'targeting' and 'eduction'. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary items (e.g., 'scholarship', 'block account'), the inaccuracy in form and usage impedes smooth reading and restricts the lexical score to a Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic complex forms that frequently contain errors. Examples of grammatical inaccuracies include 'All the undergraduate students of university should contains', 'time to be utilize', 'your all the expenses', and 'I believes that some of the courses time... should be utilize'. Subject-verb agreement errors, incorrect passive voice formations, and punctuation slips are pervasive. Complex sentence attempts are often faulty and cause some difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance firmly at a Band 5.0 level.

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

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