Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-13

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)

Every undergraduate courses should incorporate some time during the degree program for students to go study in a foreign country. I believe, it would be the best thing for students in terms of learning, and experiening different culture. This experience would certainly give more than it takes from students.

A semester abroad helps students gain valuable insights from international education system. It gives students the chance to make a comparison with their own education system, and enjoy travel to a different country, and witness their way of life. It gives them sense of growth that they are able to travel and learn from different experiences, which ultimately help them grow as a person. The best example is the Full Bright Scholarship, where limited number of students get selected based on academic prowess. They get invited to study and live for one semester in American universities. One of my friends had the opportunity to avail the scholarship. He went there and came back after 6-months. The change I witnessd upon his arrival was unfathomable. He had developed sense of humour and the personality of a gentleman, and turned into a whole new person. He became charming, humours, and culturely aware. I was amazed that how somone can change dramtically just by experiencing, and living in a different society.

Although, studying abroad broadens one's horizan, but there are real challenges faced by students during their time abroad. A significant number of students find it hard to adjust in a new country. They become victim of the homesickness, and strange food that can take toll on their health in some cases. A new country where they do not know anyone and have to survive on their own makes it a hard pill to swallow. For example, according to data from Ministry of Education Australia, over 10 per cent of exchange students fly back to their home countries in a very first week due to homesickness, depression, and anxiety.

All in all, I believe, it is extremely benefical for students to study abroad. It develops students understanding about the world, and how it operates. The benefits outweighs the disadvantages of studying abroad by miles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits of studying abroad outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both sides of the question. The discussion of cultural learning and personal growth is relevant, and your friend’s experience gives one idea a concrete example. You also acknowledge homesickness and adjustment difficulties, supported by a statistic. However, the advantages receive much fuller development than the disadvantages, and the example about your friend focuses mainly on personality changes rather than explaining how the experience benefits undergraduate study or future work. The work-placement option in the prompt is not discussed. To strengthen the response, develop the drawbacks and explain more directly why the overall benefits outweigh them, while connecting examples to university learning or employment.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, separate body paragraphs discuss benefits and drawbacks, and the conclusion restates your position. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “Although” and “For example” help guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some features of stronger organisation. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or unclear: “Although … but” combines two contrasting linkers, and repeated “It gives students” constructions make the benefits paragraph feel list-like. Some references, such as “their way of life,” could be more precise about whose way of life is meant. Use a wider range of linking structures and vary how you introduce supporting points to make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including phrases such as “valuable insights,” “academic prowess,” “homesickness,” and “culturally aware.” These choices help communicate both educational and personal benefits, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at less common expressions, although some are inaccurate or unnatural: “avail the scholarship,” “a hard pill to swallow,” and “developed sense of humour” do not fit smoothly in context. Spelling and word-form errors, including “experiening,” “horizan,” “benefical,” and “humours,” also limit precision. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and proofread spelling; for example, describe students as “take up a scholarship” and “develop a stronger sense of independence.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including relative clauses and contrast structures, as in “which ultimately help them grow as a person” and “Although, studying abroad broadens one's horizan.” The overall meaning remains understandable, but some errors in agreement, articles, sentence construction, and punctuation reduce accuracy. Examples include “Every undergraduate courses” (singular/plural agreement), “it would be the best thing” after the comma, and “Although … but,” which uses two contrasting structures together. There are also missing articles in phrases such as “gives them sense of growth” and “limited number of students.” Work on checking subject–verb agreement, article use, and sentence boundaries, while keeping the complex structures you are attempting.

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.