Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25

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)

The universities undergraduate programs should have a period of time spent studying abroad as along with the time of doing work. I think studying time is more importand but students need to work after that to manage their daily life expenses so work placement is also important to help students.

I think that in daily routine student should get time to do work and make money as well as they give time to university and their studies. Let me give you some examples, I am a student of Bs computer science, I daily attend my classes on time and do all the assessments of university after that I do a job as per government laws which allows me 4 hours in a day so that I managed my time for both university as well as for my job.

I think this is an advantage of me and all the students those are studying and doing their jobs to make themselves independent and manage their expenses. Instead of those student which are dependent of their families and others. Being independent is good for very one and also for their family to overcome the expenses burden.

If one student who don't have his family support and he is not working or allowed to work while studying then his life becomes more dificuilt as hell. He always feel anxiety, depression and agression in his personality. He is unable to study and also unable to work and consequences are bad in the result.

In my opinion, Student should studying and also work for their expenses, universities undergraduate programs should include a period for studies and work also.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give a personal position that students should combine study with work, and your own experience as a computer science student provides a relevant example. However, the response only partially addresses the actual comparison: the prompt asks whether a required period abroad or on a work placement has more advantages than disadvantages. Most of your discussion concerns students earning money during their studies, rather than a structured placement or studying abroad, and you do not clearly weigh benefits against drawbacks. The claims about independence and family expenses are relevant but remain general, while the possible disadvantages are not explored. To strengthen the response, state your view on whether the proposed requirement is worthwhile, then develop and support both sides of that specific issue.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, moving from your position to a personal example and then to further reasons. Phrases such as “Let me give you some examples” and “In my opinion” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, the overall progression is limited: the paragraphs repeat the idea that students should work to become independent, and the final paragraph mainly restates the opening rather than drawing together a comparison of advantages and disadvantages. Some links are unclear, particularly “Instead of those student,” which does not clearly connect the contrast to the previous sentence. Organise the essay around distinct points—benefits, drawbacks, and your judgement—and use clearer references and transitions so each paragraph advances the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a small set of relevant terms, including “independent,” “expenses,” “family support,” and “anxiety,” which allows the reader to understand your main concerns. However, vocabulary is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, sometimes making the intended meaning harder to follow. For example, “time of doing work,” “expenses burden,” and “as hell” are not suitable or precise in this formal essay. There are also spelling errors such as “importand,” “dificuilt,” and “agression.” Build a more topic-specific range for discussing placements, such as practical experience, employability, living costs, and academic commitments, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “If one student who don't have his family support…” and a sentence explaining how you balance classes and work. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction occur frequently enough to make parts difficult to read. Examples include “student should get time,” “those are studying,” “he always feel,” and “Student should studying.” The long sentence beginning “I am a student of Bs computer science” also joins several ideas without clear punctuation. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete clause structures, then divide long sentences into shorter units. This will make your meaning clearer while allowing you to use a wider range of structures.

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

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