Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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 4.5)

I think, they are many advantages and disadvantages in all universties undergraduate course should include a epriod of time spent studying abroad or doing a work replacement.

On the one hand, I will discuse the advantages of work placement doing in undergraduate courses. First of all, the job will be find very easily and the skills level is improved. for example, when the students go abroad for higher education. they are improve our dicipline or learn new cultures, new skills, they build good or successful carrer in the future. for instance, the CS students worked in software house around 6 months when they find the job very quickly. Moreover, when the students spend more time in studying abroad. they get good jobs to related our field subjecs. I think the work placement in abroad is very good to improve our working hard or language skills. they fell independently.

On the other hand, I want to tell about the disadvantages of time spent studying abroad. firstly, In my opinion every students cannot afford the living expense or study expence in abroad. the study in abroad is very expensive for many people. some students cannot pay the fee of university for higher education or they cannot find the jobs easily. For example, they are very dificults for univertsity to find the placement of students.

In conclusion, they are many advantages and many disadvantages for all unversity undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

First, it must be noted that the response is under length, containing 225 words instead of the minimum 250 words (not counting words copied from the prompt). Regarding task response, the student responds to the task only minimally. The prompt asks whether the advantages of including studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses outweigh the disadvantages, but the writer merely lists a few simple points on both sides without a clear, consistent personal position. Ideas are limited and under-developed. For instance, the mention of computer science students working in software houses is underdeveloped and lacks sufficient explanation or a logical link to how it proves the broader argument. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to ensure the full word count is met, take a clear stance, and extend arguments with fully elaborated supporting evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response shows some basic organization, using standard transition markers such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure of the essay. However, there is no clear overall progression of ideas, and paragraphs lack internal cohesion. Sentences are often disjointed, and referencing is frequently unclear, as seen in the confusing shift between pronouns like 'they', 'our', and 'the students'. Cohesive devices are basic and sometimes used inappropriately, which disrupts the flow of reading. To improve, the writer should ensure that each paragraph builds logically on the previous one and use a wider variety of accurate cohesive devices to connect ideas smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with frequent errors in word choice, word form, and spelling that often strain the reader. Examples of lexical errors include 'work replacement' instead of work placement, 'expence' for expense, 'dificults' for difficult, and 'unvertsity' for university. The student also struggles with collocation, writing 'find the job very quickly' rather than securing employment, and using 'field subjecs'. The range of vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for conveying very basic concepts. To achieve a higher band score, the student must expand their vocabulary range, use less common lexical items with greater precision, and pay much closer attention to standard English spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The grammar is characterized by a very limited range of structures, relying heavily on simple sentences with frequent, disruptive errors. Attempts at complex sentences are almost always faulty, as demonstrated in 'I think, they are many advantages and disadvantages in all universties undergraduate course should include a epriod of time spent studying abroad'. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('they are improve'), pluralization ('every students cannot afford'), prepositions ('in abroad' instead of abroad), and verb tenses. These errors are frequent and often obscure the intended meaning. To progress, the writer needs to demonstrate control over basic grammatical structures, improve sentence variety, and significantly reduce the frequency of errors in basic syntax and punctuation.

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

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