Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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)

There are various viewpoints about whether universities should include a timeframe for undergraduate courses to studying abroad or doing a work placement.While they provide opprtunities for personal and professional development and improve their well-being.

To begin with, travelling allow travelers to explore from different place and meet various people. which as communication, logical thinking and decision making abilities which help to build confidence and ecourage individuals to make more connections. As a result,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response only minimally addresses the task, primarily because the length requirement is severely compromised. The student has written a mere 73 words, falling significantly short of the 250-word minimum for Task 2. Consequently, the ideas presented are extremely limited and cut off mid-sentence, preventing any meaningful development of a clear position on whether the advantages of studying abroad or doing a work placement outweigh the disadvantages. While the introduction briefly touches upon personal and professional development, the argument is incomplete and halts abruptly, reflecting an inability to sustain a coherent discussion over the required length. To improve, the writer must ensure they meet the minimum word count and fully develop their arguments with relevant examples and explanations for both sides of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.5

The text displays some organizational structure through basic introductory phrasing such as 'To begin with', but the overall progression of ideas is severely disrupted by the premature ending of the response. Paragraphing is attempted, but the second paragraph breaks off into sentence fragments ('which as communication, logical thinking...'), making it difficult to follow a logical train of thought. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurately applied, failing to link clauses meaningfully. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to ensure that sentences are structurally complete, that referencing is clear, and that ideas are organized into logical paragraphs that develop a unified argument from introduction to conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is basic and attempts at less common words result in noticeable errors. For instance, the student writes 'opprtunities' (spelling error) and uses phrases like 'timeframe for undergraduate courses to studying abroad', which demonstrates awkward word choice and incorrect word form. While some common vocabulary is adequate for basic communication—such as 'personal and professional development'—the limited range and recurring lexical inaccuracies restrict the precision of the response. To improve, the writer should focus on expanding their range of functional vocabulary, paying closer attention to word forms, collocations, and accurate spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammatical range is very limited, consisting mostly of fragmented or poorly controlled complex structures. There are frequent errors in sentence boundaries and clause structures, such as treating a relative clause fragment ('which as communication, logical thinking and decision making abilities...') as a complete sentence. Other issues include errors in prepositional usage within grammatical patterns, such as 'courses to studying'. While some simple strings are understandable, the high frequency of structural errors and incomplete sentences can cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer must practice constructing complete, grammatically correct sentences with proper subjects, verbs, and punctuation.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.