Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 university fresher subjects had to include a certain portion of time allocated to studying abroad or doing voluntary work.Studying abroad can offer numerous job opportunities or real-world experiences. I believe not all courses need foreign study, as it could create

unnecessary cost and stress.

Instilling compulsory study abroad or performing internships in all colleges' subjects can be a real-life experience for learners. It can help them to tackle challenging situations and can build their confidence over it. Furthermore, students can get opportunities for jobs depending on their degree. For instance, nursing students can get their placement in hospitals or clinics, which helps them to gain practical experience and makes the transition to healthcare jobs easier.

On the other hand, if making these abroad studies mandatory, then it may put some students under a lot of stress. Managing their academic performance along with work can be stressful. Moreover, adding high costs, especially for low-income students, can add extra burden on their shoulders. For example, students who come from a poor background should cover additional expenses such as transportation, living costs, and accommodations.These expenses may for

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your response addresses the task only partially because you wrote 185 words, which falls significantly short of the 250-word minimum requirement. While you present a position and discuss both advantages and disadvantages, the ideas remain limited and under-developed due to the truncated length and abrupt ending of your final paragraph. To reach a higher band, you need to fully develop your arguments with extended supporting examples and ensure you meet the required word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation in your writing, and you attempt paragraphing to separate your introduction, body paragraphs, and arguments. However, there is no clear overall progression, and the response lacks a concluding paragraph entirely. Cohesive devices are used minimally and somewhat repetitively, such as 'Furthermore' and 'Moreover'. To improve, you should ensure every paragraph flows logically into the next and that you provide a complete concluding summary, utilising a wider variety of cohesive ties.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is limited but minimally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey basic ideas about university courses and expenses. You use some appropriate terms like 'practical experience', 'healthcare jobs', and 'living costs'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and phrasing, such as writing 'fresher subjects' instead of foundation or undergraduate subjects, and 'making these abroad studies mandatory'. These vocabulary limitations and awkward collocations cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent access to higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You demonstrate a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside some basic complex forms like 'if making these abroad studies mandatory, then it may put some students...'. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as tense and form issues in your opening sentence ('All university fresher subjects had to include...'), missing articles, and awkward prepositional phrasing. Because these errors occur frequently and your attempts at complex structures are often faulty, they require the reader to occasionally pause and interpret your meaning.

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

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