Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28
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 universities undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. Here i will discuss about advantages and disadvantages.
There are some disadvantages on studying while working.For example, work hour might affect the time seperated for studying. While the advantages like, learning international skills, developing an habit of balancing the daily activities, etc are included. Although some people find it difficult to balance the work hour and studies but in some aspects, it is more advantageous for learning proper orientation of daily activities. It's important to learn about the management of daily activities like studying as well as working while balancing proper time period and schedule.
We can describe various types of disadvantages of these courses like, difficulties on managing studying time and working time. There araises a problem of language while working if in abroad. The students might get into tensed situation because of the native speakers who donot use any other languages like english.
As for advantages. There are high chances of learning various national as well as international skill. Including, cultural, traditional and religious skills of various fields such as for BHM. These types of international courses have high advantages for the students who are able to manage their daily studying and working period according to the needs and requirements.
Conclusion, There are various advantages than disadvantages for the undergraduated courses including a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement for all universities. As the conclusion, it is obvious that the advantages overweigh the disadvantages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and states a position in the conclusion that advantages outweigh disadvantages. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the discussion on disadvantages focuses heavily on time management and language barriers in abroad settings, such as 'there araises a problem of language while working if in abroad,' but these points are underdeveloped and lack specific examples. The format also lacks a proper introduction, jumping straight into the topic without a clear overview. While the task is addressed, the superficial treatment of ideas places this response at Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay displays an organizational structure with an attempt at paragraphing, but the progression of ideas is often disjointed. The introduction is missing, replaced by an abrupt opening sentence followed by 'Here i will discuss about advantages and disadvantages.' Paragraphing is poorly controlled, resulting in very short or repetitive blocks of text. Cohesive devices are used in a basic or mechanical manner, such as 'As for advantages' and 'Conclusion, There are various advantages,' which feels unnatural. Furthermore, referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall logical flow is hindered by abrupt transitions between sentences and paragraphs, corresponding to a Band 5 level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently reusing words like 'advantages,' 'disadvantages,' 'studying,' and 'working' throughout the text. There are also noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'time seperated for studying' instead of time allocated, 'developing an habit,' and 'tensed situation' instead of a stressful situation. Less common lexical items are attempted but usually used inaccurately, such as 'proper orientation of daily activities.' While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic subject matter, the frequent errors and limited range restrict the score to Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few faulty attempts at complex ones. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('if in abroad'), subject-verb agreement issues ('there araises a problem'), incorrect preposition use ('disadvantages on studying'), and punctuation errors. Fragmented sentences or poorly formed clauses also appear, as seen in 'As for advantages. There are high chances...' Although meaning is generally discernible despite these errors, the high frequency of structural inaccuracies prevents the score from reaching Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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