Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-02

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 7.0)

Many employees today face demanding work environments due to increased workloads and higher expectations from employers. To address the challenge, Universities consider to mandate additional courses that require college students to either study abroad or undergo work placement. In my opinion, I believe that the benefits of programs such as studying abroad or doing a work placement can outweigh the disadvantages.

Having options to either study abroad or doing work placements provide many benefits to undergraduate students and society. These programs can provide real life training and experience among students. The knowledge and skills that they can gain from these program are valuable not just to them but to their future employers. fresh graduates who are familiar with the ropes of the job will require less training and supervision as they are already immersed with the nature of the job. Also, students can establish networks of mentors and advisors that can attest to their capabilities and work ethics. All in all, I firmly believe that by implementing study abroad and work placements, students and the society can have benefit from it.

Among the drawbacks, students will have longers years studying and they might not have the funds to afford the additional expenses. University undergraduates might diminish their enthusiasm in staying at school if they have to take additional courses or do other requirements in order to get a diploma. Another is that, not all students have the capacity to pay for the additional international courses or the miscellaneous expenses in doing work placements. Despite of these disadvantages, it is undeniable that the knowledge and skills that a student can acquire in participating to activities. Also, if students' faced financial problems with these programs, universities should work with the Department of Education to ease the financial burdens from the students. For example, in the Philippines, state universities run by the government, offer free tuition fees to students. Also, they offer scholarships for students who want to have advance education abroad.

In conclusion, I beleive that the advantages of programs such as study abroad and work placement outweigh its disadvantages. Universities should work hand in hand with the government to offer assitance such as free education to all and offering scholarships to students, thus making them prepared in the workforces and in becoming a proactive member of the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of real-life training and networking, and the drawbacks regarding financial and time constraints. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the benefits are well-supported, the counter-argument section is slightly repetitive, and the suggestion to involve the Department of Education feels like a secondary point rather than a direct response to the core issue of whether the mandate itself is beneficial. Overall, the position is clear, and the main ideas are sufficiently extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the benefits from the drawbacks. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'Also,' 'In conclusion,' and 'Despite of these,' though some transitions are a bit mechanical. There is a clear progression of ideas throughout the text. Referencing is generally clear, although the flow between the final point in the second paragraph and the start of the third paragraph could be smoother to better connect the transition from benefits to drawbacks.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. You use some good collocations like 'demanding work environments,' 'real life training,' and 'proactive member of the society.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'diminish their enthusiasm in staying at school' (instead of 'for') and 'participating to activities' (should be 'in'). There is also a minor spelling error ('beleive' and 'assitance'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'Universities consider to mandate' (should be 'consider mandating'), 'fresh graduates... are already immersed with' (should be 'in'), and 'Despite of these' (should be 'Despite these'). Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are inconsistent. While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these minor errors indicates that you have not yet achieved the level of control required for a higher band. Focusing on verb patterns and prepositional phrases will help improve your accuracy.

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