Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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)

At present time, all the students of undergaduate aims for studying abroad along with part-time jobs to earn money. If the universities introduce courses related to foreign study or how to work in some other country? There will be so many benefits for this addition rather than the drawbacks.

The major benefit for new course options for undergraduate is that it will provides the necessary information about to get education or do work at some another country. Now a days, millions of students wish for this opportunity, this addition of courses will help the youth to get all necessary information about the procedure to go abroad and get admission and job.

Moreover, another advantage is the universities will be prioritised when universities add up the courses which provides the education on studying abroad or doing a work placement, the particular reason for the circumstance is this update is the solution of present students.

Furthermore, this change in courses will not have a bad impact but will be a beneficial decision for universities. Students will definately prefer the new courses because they are related to the need of hour. This actively demonstates that universities should modify the courses of undergraduates.

Personally, I believe that all higher level education courses should include a lecture spent for foreign study or do a work placement, because it have so many pros which outweigh the cons for this. Overall, universities must think to modify the list of courses with the passage of time and provides the range of options which are according to the present time problems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of including studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, concluding that the pros outweigh the cons. A position is presented, though the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the second and third paragraphs reiterate the idea that universities offering these courses will provide useful information and become more popular with students, without introducing distinct sub-points or fully developed real-world examples. Consequently, the response reaches Band 5.0 as ideas are somewhat under-developed and rely on general statements rather than extended support, though all parts of the task are at least partially addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the overall organization and logical progression are hindered by awkward transitions and repetitive phrasing. While basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Personally' are used, referencing is sometimes unclear or mechanical (for example, 'the particular reason for the circumstance is this update is the solution of present students'). Paragraphing is attempted, but individual paragraphs lack internal cohesion and fail to build a clear, progressive argument from introduction to conclusion. This pattern of faulty cohesion and limited progression places the response firmly at Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors in word choice and collocation that occasionally strain the reader. Examples include 'undergaduate aims for' instead of 'undergraduate students aim for', 'at some another country' instead of 'in another country', and 'need of hour' instead of 'needs of the hour' or 'current demands'. While the student attempts less common phrases like 'work placement' and 'beneficial decision', inaccuracies in word formation and collocation are frequent. The lexical range is minimally adequate for the task, aligning with the Band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The text displays a limited range of grammatical structures, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are recurrent grammatical errors throughout the essay, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('it will provides', 'universities will be prioritised when universities add up the courses which provides'), incorrect preposition usage ('spent for foreign study'), and punctuation or fragment errors in conditional/interrogative structures ('If the universities introduce courses... There will be so many benefits...'). These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader, though the core meaning is generally retrievable, justifying a Band 5.0 score.

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

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