Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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 4.0)

Many universities now think that students start to learn new skills for studying abroad or doing a work placement to get more experience while doing graduation. Moreover, it can give them a significant opportunities in their life. I think that the advantages are better than the disadvantages for both students and universities.

One of the main reason is if students gets chance to learn new skills and gets knowledge while their graduation they can build their career through this skills

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response touches upon the topic by stating that the advantages of studying abroad or doing a work placement outweigh the disadvantages and briefly mentions gaining new skills. However, the response is severely underdeveloped and consists of only 80 words, falling far short of the mandatory 250-word minimum requirement. Because the length requirement is significantly unmet, the development of ideas is minimal, leaving the task only partially addressed. There is no sustained argument, and the conclusion is absent. In accordance with the official band descriptors for under-length responses, this performance aligns with a Band 4.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The text is too brief to demonstrate full paragraphing or a structured essay format, consisting merely of an introduction and a single fragmented sentence. The writer attempts to use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover' and 'One of the main reason', but referencing is weak and the second sentence is an incomplete run-on. There is no clear overall progression of ideas due to the extreme brevity of the text. Information is not arranged coherently into a well-managed essay structure, which corresponds to a Band 4.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, featuring phrases like 'learn new skills', 'significant opportunities', and 'build their career'. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'doing graduation' instead of 'undergraduate studies' or 'university', and 'through this skills' instead of 'through these skills'. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate to express a very simple thought, fitting the Band 4.0 descriptor where basic vocabulary and errors strain the reader's understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentences, but grammatical accuracy is very low. There are prominent errors throughout the short text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('students starts to learn', 'students gets chance') and pluralisation errors ('this skills' instead of 'these skills'). The second sentence is a major grammatical fragment and run-on that lacks a main clause structure. Due to frequent errors that impede clarity and a very limited control of complex forms, the grammar is reflective of a Band 4.0 level.

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

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