Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

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 6.5)

In recent years, work experience and exposure to different cultures is being inclued in the curriculum for undergraduate university students. I do believe that this practice has significant benefits as compared to the risks.

The inclusion of such an requirement in course structure can add onto the financial burden for the students and their families as they are considered freshers; might not be receiving adequate pay. For students this becomes a debt before they start their career journey.

However, I believe in the current competitive world, having a prior work experience is really helpful in order to secure a job. Many corporates ask for a letter of recommendation from this so as to understand your abilities and skills. It also gives you an additional benefit of learning soft-skills which are necessary in the professional world. All of this combined can make your application for further studies or jobs make really attractive to an employer.

Along with this, the exchange programmes can be helpful as to making you learn how the same field works in different cultures. It is of utmost importance that you understand your consumers or clients. This experience of a new place with it's unique traditions and cultures helps one to be prepare realistically. As a candidate, this give a unique touch to your CV as it makes you aware about the global trends and how can that influence your particular field.

In conclusion, whilst having this specific requirements can add on the financial stress for a student, it majorly contributes in making them prepared for the real world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction and conclusion: you believe the benefits outweigh the financial burden. You address both sides, explaining that placements may create debt for students while offering work experience, soft skills, and cultural understanding. These are relevant reasons, and the discussion of how international exposure can help students understand clients adds useful detail. However, the disadvantages receive only brief treatment, and some benefits are asserted rather than fully explained—for example, the link between a recommendation letter and improved job prospects could be clarified. To develop the response further, explain how universities might reduce the financial drawback and give a specific example showing the impact of a placement or exchange on a student’s career. This would make the comparison more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on costs, two paragraphs on benefits, and a conclusion. The progression from work experience to cultural exposure is logical, and signposts such as “However,” “Along with this,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow your argument. This gives the essay a coherent framework. Some connections are less smooth or precise, though. For instance, “All of this combined” refers broadly to several preceding points, and the relationship between the recommendation letter and the skills gained could be made clearer. The conclusion also repeats the main contrast without drawing the two benefit areas together. Use more precise referencing and develop transitions that show how each example supports your overall judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “financial burden,” “letter of recommendation,” “soft-skills,” “exchange programmes,” and “global trends.” These choices allow you to discuss employment and international study with some specificity. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, such as “competitive world” and “unique touch to your CV,” but some expressions are imprecise or unnatural. Examples include “add onto the financial burden,” “make your application … make really attractive,” and “a unique touch to your CV.” Spelling and word-form slips such as “inclued” and “soft-skills” also affect accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and precise wording, such as “increase the financial burden,” “strengthen an application,” and “develop transferable skills.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “as they are considered freshers” and “as it makes you aware about the global trends.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors occur across the response. For example, “such an requirement” has an article error, while “might not be receiving adequate pay” is an incomplete clause after the semicolon. In “this give a unique touch,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “helps one to be prepare” has an incorrect verb form. The sentence “how can that influence your particular field” also uses question word order within an indirect clause. Review articles, agreement, verb forms, and embedded-question structure, and proofread punctuation so that complex sentences remain controlled.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.