Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-18

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that professionals, such as doctors and engineers, should be required to work in the country where they did their training. Others believe they should be free to work in another country if they wish.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In contemporary times, one of the most redundant and controversial topics of discussion among the people is regarding "Brain Drain", a phenomenon that refers to the flight of talent from home country to abroad in search of livelihood. In this regard, some believe that professional such as doctors and engineers ought to be asked to work where they have taken training while others argue in favour of their professional freedom and independence to work wherever they would want to. I personally argue both the approaches have some weight and merit but individuals should be left with freedom to choose the destination of choice for their professional endeavours.

To begin with, some argue that brain drain is counter-productive to host economy and often conceals national disaster in the form of loss of talent and human resource. They argue that the nation and country that provide you with knowledge, wisdom and professional training deserve to taste the fruit of it. They leave you indebted and the debt needs to be returned in the form of service to the host country. Furthermore, this groupf arguers asser that professionals who leave for abroad may render a vacant space of talent in host economies thus harbouring problems for the future.

On the other hand, anothe group argues in the favour of brain drain or the freedom of choice for professionals to work wherever they want to. They argue brains like hearts go where they are loved and cared for and looked after. They assert that it is a fact that investment on professionals makes a government deserving of its benefit, but those professionals shall be equally rewarded for their talent and skill as well, while they become skillful and beneficial. Moreover, they argue that striving to achieve personal goals and gains wherever they are easy to be achieved is the common right of all, presumably nobody should be forcefully retained in the host country especially where his talaent is not sufficiently appreciated.

I personally argue, although brain drain is significantly alarming for an economy but no one deserves personal devastation and the cost of national prosperity. Governments, while investing on the education and skill of professionals shall also make sure to bring about measures of their appreciation and reward for their sustenable retension in the local economy.

Undoubtedly, brain drain impairs host economy but professionals have the righ to work where they feel happy to do. They deserve equal appreciation of talent after training, if host governmnets want to retain them.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—that professionals should work in their training country and that they should have the freedom to migrate—while clearly stating the writer's own opinion in the introduction and body paragraphs. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant arguments regarding national development, human resource loss, and personal freedom. For example, the writer contrasts the concept of national debt and human resource preservation with the idea that individuals deserve rewards commensurate with their skills. While the phrasing occasionally repeats ideas across paragraphs, the overall task is fully covered, warranting a solid Band 7.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to arguments for forced retention, arguments for freedom of movement, and finally a balanced personal conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' are used to structure the text, though some transitional phrases feel slightly formulaic. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, though the conclusion is split into two brief paragraphs which disrupts the overall flow slightly. Overall, the cohesive framework aligns well with the Band 7 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, such as 'contemporary times', 'redundant and controversial topics', 'flight of talent', and 'counter-productive'. However, there are some noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'professional' instead of 'professionals', 'groupf arguers' (typographical error), 'anothe group', and 'sustenable retension'. Despite these minor slips and spelling errors, the vocabulary is adequate to convey complex ideas clearly, earning a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a variety of complex sentence structures with mixed success. There are several frequent error-free sentences, such as 'In contemporary times, one of the most redundant and controversial topics of discussion among the people is regarding "Brain Drain"...', but grammatical inaccuracies persist. Issues include article omission ('such as doctors and engineers ought to be asked to work where they have taken training'), preposition choices ('investment on professionals'), and subject-verb agreement or word form errors ('talaent', 'governmnets'). However, these errors rarely impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6.0 range.

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