Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

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)

It is commonly suggested that undergraduate courses should include internships or student exchange programs as they can contribute to students learning and growth. Furthermore, I strongly agree with this statement. In my opinion, internships should be considered as a compulsory requirement in order to complete your degree as it has a lot of benefits after graduation.

University education should not be limited to classrooms only. Instead, students can get more exposure if they move abroad for their studies and hands on experience while doing internships. While studying overseas, students can learn multiple skills such as time management and multi tasking as well as they get to experience a new environment along with their studies. However, internships also play a vital role in this modern era and they can be very advantageous for a learner. For example, we live in a society where companies demand hands on experience of at least two years while hiring a fresh graduate, so in these cases, undergraduate courses that include internships are very beneficial.

There are benefits of studying abroad and doing internships but one can not deny that it has some flaws too if they are made compulsory. One most common problem that students face is the financial issue. It is very difficult to afford the fees of overseas universities. Whereas, for some students studying in other countries as they can not focus on multiple things such as job and studying together, which results in low grades. Internships in some cases contribute to lower grades of some students as they loose focus when they start earning. For instance, when interns are offered a full time job with handsome salaries while they are enrolled in an undergraduate degree, they lose their focus in studies.

In conclusion, including work placements and student exchange programs in undergraduate courses are difficult for some students while it is a big opportunity for others. In my opinion, the advantages of going abroad and work placements would outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you agree that placements or study abroad should be included, and you conclude that their advantages outweigh the disadvantages. You address both benefits and drawbacks, with relevant points about employability, skills, cost and the risk of distraction from study. The example of employers seeking experience helps support your case. This meets the task well, but some ideas are more fully explained than others. For instance, you mention time management and adapting to a new environment without showing how these specifically benefit students, and the claim that placements are compulsory is not fully reconciled with the financial barriers you identify. Develop these links and explain how universities could reduce the disadvantages to make the argument more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion that restates your view. The progression from educational and career benefits to practical concerns is easy to follow, and examples generally appear alongside the points they support. Some linking is effective, such as “However” and “For instance,” but transitions can feel mechanical, and a few references are unclear. In “Whereas, for some students studying in other countries as they cannot focus,” the relationship between the financial point and the new concern is difficult to follow. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each drawback explicitly to the question of whether the advantages outweigh it. This would make the progression more controlled and cohesion less dependent on signposting words.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “undergraduate courses,” “hands on experience,” “compulsory requirement,” and “financial issue.” These choices communicate your main points, and terms such as “student exchange programs” and “full time job” are relevant. There are, however, some imprecise or unnatural expressions and spelling or word-form errors. “A lot of benefits” is general, while “handsome salaries” is not the most natural collocation in this context; “lose” is also misspelled as “loose.” Repetition of “students,” “internships,” and “beneficial” limits flexibility. Aim for more precise academic phrasing and check collocations and spelling, while retaining the clear, accessible vocabulary you already use.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses beginning with “While” and “when,” and most of your meaning remains clear. Some sentences show an attempt to express more complex relationships, but control is uneven. For example, “Whereas, for some students studying in other countries as they can not focus…” is incomplete and does not connect its ideas grammatically. In “including work placements and student exchange programs … are difficult,” the plural subject does not agree with “are” in the intended construction, and “as it has” in the introduction has an unclear antecedent. Review sentence boundaries, subject–verb agreement, and clause structure. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen the range already demonstrated.

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