Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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)

In recent times, there is a argue between some of the students that all the universities providing undergraduate courses should provide a time period for studying while some prefer doing eork placements instead of study.

The first advantage of studying abroad is the choice in the courses students get. They will have multiple courses of study. Students can get a chance to retrieve education from high level teachers. Moreover, aspirants can read books to expand thir views to see the world in the university library which has more than 10000 books. An advanced physics lab is provided for the students. Also a computer lab with new tech and computers is available.

The second advantage is that students can learn how to live with different people and under different circumstances. Students can get to know their language, tradition and cultures. It can expand the way of their thinking. They can make new freinds.On the other hand, some students should have to earn their expenses to study. They did not belong to a rich family. They did not get monthly pocket money from their parents. Resultantly, they will have to do work placements.

The disadvantage of this is that some students getting money from their parents does not pay proper attention to their studies and waste their money. In addition, some starts smoking and drinking alcohol.

In my oppinion, there are more advantages of foreign studies than its disadvantages. Students have a chance to know other people. They can get many choices to study abroad.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give a clear overall view in the conclusion: “there are more advantages of foreign studies than its disadvantages,” and you mention benefits such as cultural understanding and access to courses. However, the response only partially addresses the exact proposal, which allows either study abroad or a work placement. Most of the advantages describe facilities at a foreign university, such as its library and physics lab, rather than explaining why a required period abroad or placement benefits all undergraduates. The disadvantages are also not fully connected to the proposal: financial hardship is mentioned, but the point about students wasting money is unclear. Develop fewer, more relevant ideas and support them with specific explanations or examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has separate paragraphs for advantages, disadvantages and your opinion, so the reader can identify its broad structure. You also use basic signposting such as “Moreover,” “On the other hand” and “In addition.” However, progression within and between paragraphs is uneven. The first advantage paragraph lists courses, teachers, books and laboratories without showing how these points connect to the required overseas period. The shift from students needing to earn money to students wasting money is also abrupt, and the relationship between these ideas is not made clear. Some linking is mechanical, while “They” in several consecutive sentences has an unclear or repetitive reference. Organise each paragraph around one main point and explain the link between its supporting details.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “undergraduate courses,” “work placements,” “tradition and cultures” and “circumstances.” This gives you enough language to communicate the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “retrieve education,” “expand thir views” and “foreign studies.” Spelling errors, including “eork,” “freinds” and “oppinion,” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the writing. Some repeated basic words, particularly “students” and “study,” also make the response less varied. Build a bank of natural phrases for education and overseas experience, and check spelling and collocations carefully before submitting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few longer sentence forms, including “Students can get to know their language, tradition and cultures” and the sentence beginning “The disadvantage of this is that…”. Most sentences are simple, however, and attempts at more complex structures are often faulty. For example, “there is a argue” has an incorrect article and noun form, while “some students getting money from their parents does not pay” has a subject–verb agreement problem and an incomplete verb construction. Tense and modal patterns are also inconsistent in “They did not belong to a rich family” and “should have to earn.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Practise accurate clause construction, agreement and consistent verb forms, then proofread each sentence.

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