Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-09

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)

In undergraduate studies, all university should include courses where students will be required to spent time in studying abroad or doing internships. These things will help a lot to students to build their practical knowledge about work life and broaden their overall experience. I think the advantages of including these courses can easily outweigh the disadvantages.

In universities, students are required to take a few courses in every semester. They study them throughout the semester and sit for an examination and then move on. These studies have little to no relation with real life. If a student doesn't learn how to use his bookish knowledge in practice, he/she won't be able to go far with it. If universites require such courses, where they must have to do an internship or have to go to abroad to study, they will be able to gain more hands on experince about their subjects. In industry, they will be able to apply the knowledge or get to see how the things work in real life. This experience alone will add a huge advantage in their career. Also, a few students want to pursue higher studies in future. If there were some courses in their college that already requires going abroad or going to a different school, it might also help them in future. As they already have an experince of how to transfer their knowledge or how to apply to different schools and get accepted.

On the other hands, there are a few disadvantages of these course which are very minor. Going to study abroad may require a handsome amount of money, which many of the students wont be able to pay. Students usually dont work full time, so their earning source is very limited. If universities are willing to pay for these courses, then it wont matter at all. Also, some students might think doing internsips or work placements are a waste of time. They can just simply study or finish another semseter early in that period of time.

In conclusion, I think getting practical knowledge or going abroad to study for a time period has neumerous advantanges and a few disadvantages too, but it can be solved with the authoritative help.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and you address both sides of the question. The strongest relevant point is that placements help students apply academic knowledge in real workplaces, which you connect to future careers. You also identify cost and students’ preference to finish their studies sooner as drawbacks. However, some support is less fully developed: the point about studying abroad helping students apply to other schools is not explained as clearly as the career benefit, and the disadvantages receive less detail than the advantages. To strengthen the response, explain how universities could make placements accessible and give a more specific example of the benefits of studying abroad, while keeping your position clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph explaining benefits, a paragraph on drawbacks, and a conclusion. The progression from academic study to practical experience is generally easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “On the other hands” and “In conclusion” signal the stages of your argument. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. The discussion of applying to different schools follows the career point without a clear transition, and “If universities are willing to pay for these courses, then it won’t matter at all” does not specify exactly which disadvantage is being resolved. Use clearer references and connect each example directly to the point it supports. This would make cohesion less mechanical and improve the flow between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “practical knowledge,” “hands on experience,” “work placements,” and “higher studies.” These expressions help communicate the main ideas, and the reader can generally understand your meaning. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, such as “a handsome amount of money,” “go to abroad,” and “waste of time.” Spelling errors, including “experince,” “universites,” and “advantanges,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and check spelling carefully. For example, “a considerable amount of money” is more suitable than “a handsome amount,” while “study abroad” is the natural expression rather than “go to abroad.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “If a student doesn’t learn how to use his bookish knowledge in practice, he/she won’t be able to go far with it.” This shows some range, and most errors do not prevent the reader from following your argument. Some grammatical problems remain, particularly with verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. For instance, “students will be required to spent” should use the infinitive “spend,” and “courses … that already requires” needs subject–verb agreement. The opening phrase “all university should include courses” also needs a plural or possessive construction. Review these patterns and proofread for consistent agreement and verb forms while continuing to use complex sentences.

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