Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-03

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)

There is an ongoing debate about whether professionals should practice in the country that trained them or if they should be free to choose where they want to work. I believe experts should be able to decide where they want to build their career.

Those who favour the idea that professionals should stay in the country where they were trained argue that this is a way to give back to society what they learnt at university. For example in Argentina anesthesiologists are required to work at least 4 years in the district were they live after they finished their studies. In addition, in some countries people are not allowed to enroll at university if they do not have permanent residency. This is because education is covered with public funds and specialist are expected to contribute to the country. Therefore, this way they can spend a few years developing their career in the country that trained them and contribute to society.

Supporters of letting specialists decide where they want to practice emphasize that they should not have the obligation to stay. This is because they already paid for their tuition fees so they do not need to give anything in returned. For instance, Canada receives students from all over the world every year and they do not require a contract of exclusivity. So, this way professionals are free to decide where they want to continue with their career.

In conclusion, while staying in the country that trained them can benefit society, I believe that specialist should have the freedom to choose where they want to practice, because they already covered the costs of their studies.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and state your position clearly in the introduction and conclusion: professionals should be free to choose where to work. The discussion of public investment and giving back to society is relevant, and the Argentina example helps illustrate the first view. The response also explains the opposing view through tuition fees and Canada’s lack of an exclusivity contract. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the second argument relies mainly on having paid tuition, without considering other reasons professionals may seek work abroad or the effects on the country that trained them. The examples could also be explained more precisely. Your clear coverage and position are strong, but fuller development and support would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear, effective structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Ideas progress logically, and signposting such as “Those who favour,” “Supporters,” and “In conclusion” makes the discussion easy to follow. Linking expressions including “For example,” “In addition,” and “Therefore” generally show how evidence relates to the argument. At times, however, the connections feel formulaic, particularly the repeated “This is because” and “So, this way.” The final sentence of the first body paragraph also repeats the idea of contributing to society rather than adding a distinct point. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make each sentence advance the argument to strengthen the progression further.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “professionals,” “permanent residency,” “public funds,” “tuition fees,” and “contract of exclusivity.” These choices make the main ideas clear, and phrases such as “build their career” and “give back to society” help express the debate. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, however: “give anything in returned” should be “give anything in return,” and “covered the costs of their studies” is less natural than “paid for their education.” “Specialist” is also used where the plural “specialists” is needed, and “district were they live” contains a spelling error in “where.” Greater precision and more natural collocations would improve control of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses beginning “whether,” “because,” and “if.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and the essay’s overall structure is easy to understand. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “specialist are expected” needs plural agreement (“specialists are”), while “specialist should have the freedom” also needs a plural noun or an article. In “after they finished their studies,” the tense would be more consistent as “after they finish their studies” or “after they had finished.” The sentence beginning “For example in Argentina” also needs a comma after the introductory phrase. Review agreement, tense consistency, and punctuation, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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