Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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)

university undergraduates programs should include a work placement or studying duration in abraod. i agree with this statemnt. studying abraod will cause more benfits for student than staying in one place fro education.

in my opinion, studying in abraod or doing placemnt year in fpreign will bring good expertise in students career. student will learn knew things, getting vast information regarding the course. for example, a student studying optometry in pakistan will only know about specific procedues occuring in pkistan, while a student who pursue work placemnt in other ountry will have advance knowledgeand he cn bettr understand the differnce in same procedures occuring in different countries. he will be able to prform bettr and get a useful modificatio in current program.

this will also beneficial for one's confidence level. student when working out of comfort zone getsmany advantages like gaining experience, developing confidence, analytical thinking, mindset also develops.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You take a clear position in favour of including overseas study or work placements, and you give relevant reasons: students may gain career expertise and develop confidence. The optometry example also begins to show how experience in another country could broaden professional knowledge. However, the response addresses the task only partially: it does not explain whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in a developed comparison, and it gives no disadvantages or response to them. The ideas are brief and several claims, such as improved analytical thinking, are not explained or supported. The response is also 101 words below the required minimum, which leaves too little space to develop the argument. Extend each reason with explanation and a specific example, and address the disadvantages before reaching a clear conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces your position and then presents career benefits and personal development as separate points. Phrases such as “for example” and “this will also” help signal the relationship between ideas. However, progression is limited because the response ends without a conclusion, and the second benefit is listed rather than developed. Some connections are unclear, particularly the shift from learning about procedures abroad to making “a useful modification in current program.” Use distinct paragraphs for the introduction, each main argument, and the conclusion; then link each example explicitly to why the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This would make the organisation more complete and reduce the sense of ideas being placed side by side.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to education and employment, including “work placement,” “expertise,” “analytical thinking,” and “comfort zone.” These choices show an effort to discuss more than basic benefits. However, the range remains limited, and frequent spelling errors and inaccurate word forms make parts difficult to read, for example “abraod,” “statemnt,” “placemnt,” and “modificatio.” Some expressions are also unnatural or imprecise, such as “vast information” and “good expertise.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “professional experience,” “broader knowledge,” and “adapt to unfamiliar environments” would help express your ideas clearly and avoid repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use mostly simple sentence patterns, with an attempt at a longer example beginning “for example, a student studying optometry…” This shows some willingness to combine ideas, but the range is limited and the longer sentence is difficult to follow. Errors in sentence structure and verb forms occur frequently, as in “student when working out of comfort zone getsmany advantages,” where the subject and verb relationship is unclear. Other examples include “this will also beneficial” and “a student who pursue,” which lack correct verb forms or agreement. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, and use a few controlled complex structures to explain cause and effect.

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.