Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 the stuying abroad or doing a work place.

well I think the advantages is that it would create more oppurtunites for the sudent after graduation, However the disadvantages will be that it will focus less on acdemic studies.

IN my point of view studying abroad will create more problem in term of finance, it would be hard for student with low financial situation it would hard for them to complete thier studies However if the studying abroad can funded by universities tahn it will help the student grow more in the courses. they will spent time in other societies.on the other side doing a work placement in undergoing studying it would take time of the students so student will not have much time for cademic studies so it will effect thier course.

on the other hand if we look to the advantages of the of studying abroad itwill help the students broaden thier view on how other contries working in this kind of courses,

they wil get new type of ideas from students around the world Rather than studying they will lear how to survive in other contries for example there is a programe called MITACS in Canada that uasually help student in thier final years of research so that student around all the contint can grow in more advanced socienty and complete there reserch there that after that the can complete there graduation.

however taking work placement will help them take control of thier life and the students will be financially independent in thier life . critcs often find out that if you are fully focud on study you should stay in your university and graduated after that yu should focus on work placement or you can go abroad for higher studies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including a study abroad or work placement period in undergraduate courses. The writer takes a somewhat clear position, attempting to weigh financial challenges and reduced academic focus against the benefits of global perspectives and financial independence. However, the ideas are relatively undeveloped and lack sufficient extension. For example, the mention of the 'MITACS' program in Canada is a relevant specific example, but it is introduced rather abruptly within a dense paragraph without being fully tied back to the main thesis. Furthermore, there are minor omissions in fully exploring the work placement side compared to studying abroad. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 5.5, balancing relevant task coverage with underdeveloped idea extension.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The organization of the essay suffers from poor paragraphing and structural control. The text begins with conversational filler ('well I think') and compresses multiple distinct ideas into single, block-like paragraphs rather than grouping them logically. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively, such as the frequent use of 'However' and 'on the other hand' in close succession without clear punctuation. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in pronouns like 'they' and 'it' whose antecedents are muddled by run-on sentence structures. Although there is an underlying attempt to present contrasting views, the lack of appropriate paragraph breaks and mechanical transitions pulls the coherence score down to Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and frequently strained by spelling and word-choice errors. The student attempts less common vocabulary items such as 'financially independent', 'societies', and 'research', but these are offset by persistent spelling mistakes throughout the text, including 'stuying', 'oppurtunites', 'sudent', 'acdemic', 'thier', 'tahn', 'contries', 'programe', 'uasually', 'contint', 'socienty', 'critecs', 'focud', and 'graduated'. While terms like 'financial situation' and 'work placement' show a basic adequacy for the task, the high frequency of lexical and orthographic errors places this performance securely at Band 5.0, where vocabulary is adequate for minimal communication but heavily impacted by noticeable errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The grammatical range is restricted, relying heavily on simple structures and faulty attempts at complex sentences. Run-on sentences and comma splices are prevalent throughout the essay, such as 'it would be hard for student with low financial situation it would hard for them to complete thier studies However if the studying abroad can funded by universities tahn it will help...' There are frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions (e.g., 'undergoing studying', 'effect thier course', 'if you are fully focud on study'). The majority of sentences contain grammatical inaccuracies that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, aligning with the Band 5.0 descriptor for grammar.

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

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