Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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)

Every university undergraduate course should involve a time period for studying another syllabus or doing a work placement.

From my point of view, I agree with it to a large extent that universities should allow some time to study abroad or to do work. Because there are many examples from my life experience that students' schedules are too complicated; they are not able to do other things. In fact, they are also not able to eat freely. This tough time gives them stress and pressure, due to which they are not able to study their undergraduate courses easily. This pressure causes anxiety in them and prevents them from doing better in their studies.

However, lending more time is also not a good course. Because if you grant a person more free time than their work, they will become lazy, which will not allow them to do only one thing. That's a negative impact on student life, because this not only causes laziness but also makes a person step aside from the duty they were playing.

The conclusion of this matter is that the university should give undergraduates free time to study other things because it can provide more information about that material. But not more time, because more time causes laziness, and it does not make a person do more work or study different discoveries that are made internationally. Sometimes it also makes a person so lazy that they step aside from the role they were playing in life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You give a general view that students should have time for study or work, and you mention stress and the risk of becoming lazy. However, the response does not clearly weigh the advantages of studying abroad or completing a work placement against their disadvantages. Much of the discussion shifts to giving students “free time,” which is not the same as the specific opportunities in the prompt, and the examples about eating freely and becoming lazy are not sufficiently explained or linked to those opportunities. Your position is also difficult to follow: you agree “to a large extent,” but do not establish which side outweighs the other. The response is one word below the required minimum. Address both sides directly and support your judgement with relevant examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, with an opening, a paragraph beginning “However,” and a conclusion, so the reader can identify a broad sequence of ideas. You also use simple linking expressions such as “In fact,” “However,” and “The conclusion of this matter.” However, there is no clear progression in the argument: the discussion moves from study abroad and work placements to general free time, then repeats the claim that extra time causes laziness. References such as “this” and “it” are sometimes unclear, and the conclusion largely restates earlier points rather than resolving the comparison in the question. Organise the body around advantages and disadvantages, and use each paragraph to develop one distinct point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “work placement,” “stress and pressure,” “anxiety,” and “negative impact,” and the main meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated uses of “time,” “lazy,” and “do better.” Some combinations sound unnatural, such as “study another syllabus” and “the duty they were playing,” which make the intended meaning less clear. Choose vocabulary that accurately describes the task, such as international study, practical experience, or professional responsibilities, rather than repeatedly referring to free time. More precise collocations and less repetition would make your ideas easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and some basic sentence patterns communicate your ideas clearly. However, the range is limited, and attempts to connect clauses are often faulty. For example, “Because there are many examples from my life experience…” and “Because if you grant a person…” are sentence fragments; the second also has an awkward conditional structure. In “I agree with it to a large extent that,” the clause pattern is not controlled, while “this not only causes laziness but also makes a person step aside” has unclear grammatical reference. These issues recur and sometimes make the argument difficult to follow. Practise complete sentences and accurate complex structures, especially because-clauses, conditionals, and parallel constructions.

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

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