Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-27

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)

I totally agree with it all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. And I believes that the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages.

As I'm an university student I genuienly aware about how faculty take lectures even how many students can focuse on that lectures because maximum students doesn't know what should they choose for work placement or study abroad. There are too much advantages of adding a period of studying abroad or doing a work placement because it going to help the students who can't afford the consultation fees or some students who want to do job. No to mention the benefits of doing work placement students will get better placements. Another plus point is that they doesn't need to pay seperate fees for any extra course.

There is also a some disadvantages for the college like first one is college needs to hire the faculty who had prior knowledge of it. Like I am also going abroad for higher study. For that I had taken the consultant help. Let suppose if my college had extra session for studying abroad then I didn't need to went for any consultancy. I can do it myself if there is a period of time spent studying abroad. But my college didn't do that rather than they added the sport session in my daily university timetable.

In conclude, I think all university should rearrange their timetable plus add extra sessions for studying abroad as well as they also need to add for doing work placement because maximum people in my country can't affoard the consultation fee.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You state a clear position in favour of the proposal, and your example about needing a consultant for overseas study is relevant. However, the response only partially develops the comparison of advantages and disadvantages: the benefits are asserted, but points such as “students will get better placements” are not explained, and the disadvantage of colleges hiring knowledgeable staff is not weighed against them. The discussion also shifts between studying abroad and work placement without clearly addressing both options. The response is 249 words, so it falls one word short of the 250-word minimum; the 26 words copied from the prompt are excluded. Develop and support each main point, then make the outweighing judgement explicit in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, so the reader can identify its broad structure. Some linking phrases, including “Another plus point” and “In conclude,” signal the intended direction. However, progression within paragraphs is often unclear: the second paragraph moves from lecture attention to placement choices, affordability, job opportunities and course fees without showing how these points connect. The example about your own consultancy experience is also difficult to follow because the hypothetical college session and the actual sports session are introduced abruptly. Use one central idea per paragraph, explain how each example supports it, and use clearer transitions rather than relying on a list of points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, such as “work placement,” “consultation fees,” “higher study” and “prior knowledge,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, which makes parts of the argument harder to interpret. For example, “better placements” is vague, “extra course” does not clearly describe the proposed university period, and “maximum students” is not an appropriate way to refer to most students. Spelling errors such as “genuienly,” “focuse,” “seperate” and “affoard” are also noticeable. Build a more precise set of topic phrases and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a conditional example beginning “if my college had extra session,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement and verb forms occur frequently, as in “I believes,” “students doesn't need” and “it going to help.” Articles and sentence construction are also problematic in “I'm an university student” and the opening fragment-like construction, “I totally agree with it all university undergraduate courses should include…”. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow, although the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles and conditional forms, and separate the opening position into complete, well-formed sentences.

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