Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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)

Universities should include opportunities in their curriculum, such as studying abroad or doing a work placement.

In my view, establishing opportunities for studying abroad in every university or having a placement on hand will bring immense experience and exposure in a student's lives. having a clear pathway during graduation and after graduation brings clarity in student's lives. A student if they choose abroad studies, can experience abroad exposure and multiple carear opportunities; on the other hand having a secure work placement can give long-term experience in a workspace form a very young age.

on the other hand speking about it's advanagtageous are to have a secure pathway and gives more space to explore there personal skills and journey to create osoemthing. journey more secure and can work on there learning skills as well. this brings stability in student's mental health and tehre families. his exposure will bring resilience and will make them better person and citizens, I believe. It can enhance there communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills. which will make them advance in exploring or creating opportunities in there society and communities. whereas ther can be some disadvantages such as a universities adding such curriculams can have higher annual fees, which might alot of students won't be able to afford. in universities with large capital can be distinguish and set there own crowd and certain economic people. which brings division in society.

The government can bring such modifications in government universities, targeting a large number of the population which can never afford going out or might be able to explore such options due to financial restrictions. There can be data or research on the people who may drop there college for a given reason or due to other restrictions at home. Such opportunities will come as a boon in their lives and will give them an opportunity to bring a change in themselves and in their society, vice versa.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the topic by discussing benefits such as gaining experience, developing communication and problem-solving skills, and possible disadvantages such as higher fees and social division. Your final paragraph also proposes government support, showing an attempt to respond to the issue. However, the answer does not clearly state whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages; phrases such as “In my view” introduce benefits but do not make the comparison explicit. Several ideas, including effects on mental health and students leaving college, are mentioned without clear explanation or relevant examples. State your position directly in the introduction and conclusion, then develop a few key points with specific examples and explain why they support your judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure, and expressions such as “on the other hand” and “whereas” show an effort to connect contrasting points. However, progression is difficult to follow because several ideas are crowded into long, loosely connected sentences. The second body paragraph shifts from secure pathways to personal skills, mental health, communication, fees, and social division without clear sequencing. Some linking phrases are also repeated or used where the relationship between ideas is unclear. Organise the essay into distinct stages: position and overview, benefits, disadvantages, and a conclusion that weighs them. Use clear topic sentences and make references such as “this” or “such opportunities” point unmistakably to a specific idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt topic-related vocabulary, including “work placement,” “financial restrictions,” “resilience,” and “problem-solving,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited by repeated general words such as “opportunities,” “experience,” and “lives,” while several inaccurate choices or spellings make meaning harder to follow. For example, “secure pathway,” “workspace form a very young age,” and “create osoemthing” are unclear or unsuitable in context; “carear,” “advanagtageous,” and “curriculams” also contain spelling errors. Aim for precise collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe placements as providing “practical workplace experience,” and refer to “career prospects” rather than “carear opportunities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use subordinate clauses, for example, “A student if they choose abroad studies, can experience…” and “whereas there can be some disadvantages…”. However, complex structures are often faulty, and frequent errors in sentence boundaries, agreement, articles, and pronouns make the argument harder to read. Examples include the fragment “which will make them advance…”, the missing capital at the start of “having,” and inconsistent singular/plural forms in “a student's lives.” Several sentences also lack clear grammatical connections between clauses. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then add one subordinate clause at a time. Check that each sentence has a complete main clause and that pronouns and verbs agree with their subjects.

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