Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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)

getting a time from courses and the university routine and trying to study abroad or gets a work placement it seems like a great idea but it have advantages and disadvantages . first getting out the routine and trying something new have a good impact on the students so they can learn how to manage thier time if they are studying abroad and discover new culture and knowing new people and even leaning new language that can give them new opportunities and this step can help them getting new friends and get out of thier lownlyness and be sociable and never forget about trying new study programms and is it harder or easier then after all of that they will have the ability to build their own personality and knows how to manage the risks and when they gets to work thet will have the ability too to discover themselves if they are a good workers or not and learn how the work get done and if thier dream is to get a job or to be more free by making thier own projects and they will get more knowledge about the market needs and getting helpful experience on thier CVs but all of this may have desadvantages on the university studying programs like they will more charged and maybe this will make it harder for students to get succeed on thier exams because they will less time for preparation . so finally i think this update will have a good impact on the students like preparing them for the market but will make it harder for other to succeed on thier exams

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question by describing benefits such as cultural learning, new friendships, work experience and stronger CVs, then noting that placements could reduce time for exam preparation. Your final view is that the benefits are positive overall, so a position is present. However, the response does not clearly compare the advantages with the disadvantages, and the conclusion weakens its stance by saying the change will make it harder for some students to succeed without explaining why the benefits still outweigh this cost. Several ideas, including learning a language and discovering whether students are suited to work, are listed rather than supported with examples or explanation. Develop fewer points in more depth and state your comparison clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic overall sequence: you introduce the topic, list advantages, mention a disadvantage, and finish with a conclusion. However, nearly the entire response is one long sentence, so the reader has difficulty seeing where one idea ends and another begins. The many uses of “and” create a list-like progression rather than clear development, while “so finally” does little to connect the conclusion to a balanced comparison. Group related points into separate paragraphs—for example, one on study-abroad benefits, one on work placements and drawbacks, and a final paragraph stating your judgement. Use clear sentence boundaries and linking phrases to show contrast and cause.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “study abroad,” “work placement,” “new culture,” “market needs,” and “CVs.” These choices make your main subject understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “getting out the routine,” “lownlyness,” “more charged,” and “good workers.” Spelling errors such as “thier,” “desadvantages,” and “programms” are also noticeable and sometimes slow the reader. Aim for more precise academic collocations and check spelling carefully. Replacing repeated general phrases with terms such as “gain practical experience” or “prepare for employment” would make your ideas clearer and more appropriate to the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect ideas in complex sentences, but these attempts are often difficult to follow because of frequent errors in sentence structure and verb forms. For example, “it have advantages and disadvantages” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, and “they will less time for preparation” is missing a verb. There are also problems with infinitives and agreement in phrases such as “help them getting” and “when they gets to work.” The response relies heavily on one extended sentence, with limited control of punctuation and sentence boundaries. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine related ideas using accurate clauses. Check agreement, verb forms, and the presence of a subject and verb in every sentence.

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.