Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-08

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 6.0)

It is widely argued that universities should provide a certain period of time in getting experience at workplace or studying abroad. I strongly agree that this perspective has several advantages which outweigh the disadvantages.

To begin with, one of biggest advantages is that students get international experience alongside their studies. As a result, it will give them extra benefit to get a job in the future. For instance, a student has a global experience mentioned in his resume, therefore company prefer that person instead of without any experience. In addition, students explore new culture and communities which assist them to learn new ways of interaction with different people.

Similarly, doing a work placement gives opportunities to learn practical skills with team work environment. For example, a student spent a period of time in work place he will gain experience how to work in a team and learn how to cooperate with each others. Consequently, he already learnt these abilities to handle his job.

On the other hand, visiting international study tours may cause financial burden on parents especially on middle class families because it cost high expense of visa and ticket alongside personal needs. Moreover, it also create home sickness for some students. They do not habitual for live alone without families therefore they might be focus on studies.

In conclusion, the pros of study abroad for getting experience is helpful for students future life and give them chance to interact with other communities as well as explore different cultures. Therefore, its benefits outweigh its drawbacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you agree that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and the conclusion restates this view. You address both benefits—international experience and practical workplace skills—and acknowledge costs and homesickness as drawbacks. These points are relevant, but they are not developed equally. The employment example about a student’s résumé is useful, though the claim that a company will prefer that applicant needs more explanation. The work-placement point also repeats the idea of gaining teamwork skills rather than showing a specific outcome. The disadvantages are mentioned but not weighed against the benefits in detail. Explain why the gains are likely to outweigh these costs, and develop one or two examples more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, paragraphs presenting benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. The progression from international study to work placement is easy to follow, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “Similarly,” and “On the other hand” help guide the reader. This organisation is effective, while some linking is mechanical or imprecise. For example, “As a result” and “therefore” connect claims, but the relationship between the résumé example and the preceding point could be expressed more clearly. The final paragraph focuses mainly on studying abroad, although the essay also discusses work placements. To strengthen progression, make the links between each claim and its explanation explicit, and ensure the conclusion reflects both types of placement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “international experience,” “financial burden,” “practical skills,” and “different cultures.” This is enough to communicate the main ideas, but the range and control are uneven, with several noticeable word-choice and collocation problems. Phrases such as “experience at workplace,” “global experience mentioned in his resume,” and “high expense of visa and ticket” sound unnatural or imprecise. “Explore new culture and communities” also needs more accurate phrasing. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding your argument, but they limit precision and fluency. Build a bank of natural collocations for education, employment, and costs, and check whether each noun phrase sounds idiomatic in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including cause-and-effect structures such as “As a result” and a contrast introduced by “On the other hand.” The main meaning is generally understandable, but some errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, and articles reduce accuracy. For example, “company prefer that person” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “it also create home sickness” has the same problem. In “he will gain experience how to work,” the clause needs a grammatical link, and “they might be focus” uses an incorrect verb form. There are also tense inconsistencies in the examples. Practise checking agreement and verb patterns, and use a consistent tense when describing hypothetical or general situations.

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