Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-03

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)

All courses offered in universities should include giving students the opportunity to study or intern outside the country over a period of time. I believe the benefits of students gaining experiences in other countries outweighs the downside of it.

One of the advantages of undergraduate spending some time studying or interning abroad is that they become more confident in themselves especially when they do not have relatives in that country. For example, most students are scared of doing things alone without the help or support of familiar faces, however, when they have no one to rely on, they tend to build up courage to handle certain situations. They learn things out of experience, and try to relate with strangers. Another merit of allowing students to spend time outside the country is that they get to experience other peoples culture and ethics. For example, most undergraduates have never been out of their country and have no idea about the cultures of other countries. However, this opportunity helps them to learn other people ways of life and with such experience, they find it easy to adapt anywhere they find themselves in the future.

Although this opinion has its benefits, however, there are downsides to it. One of the demerits of students spending time abroad is that they may find it difficult to adapt to other cultures especially the foods. As a result, they tend to be malnourished during this period of time. Another disadvantage is the cost of living. Not everyone can afford studying or interning abroad especially when there is no sponsorship.

In conclusion, studying abroad for a period of time as an undergraduate exposes students to different cultures and opportunities, at the same time, it may be difficult for some students. However, the benefits outweighs the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt and maintained a clear position throughout the essay. The ideas regarding personal growth and cultural awareness are relevant, and you have acknowledged the counter-arguments regarding cost and adaptation. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about malnutrition is a bit simplistic and lacks a strong logical link to the broader academic context. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting arguments are more thoroughly explored and that your examples are more specific and analytical rather than generalized. Your position is consistent, but the depth of argumentation could be improved to fully satisfy the requirements for a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use transition signals such as 'One of the advantages', 'Another merit', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some cohesive devices are used in a slightly mechanical or repetitive way. For example, the transition 'Although this opinion has its benefits, however,' is redundant because 'although' and 'however' should not be used in the same clause. Additionally, the paragraphing is clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to create a more natural progression of ideas. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the management of cohesive devices needs more precision.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'undergraduates', 'malnourished', and 'sponsorship' appropriately. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'relate with strangers' (better: 'interact with') and 'other people ways of life' (missing possessive apostrophe). While you attempt to use a variety of words, the range is somewhat limited and lacks the more sophisticated, academic collocations that would elevate the response. The errors in word choice do not impede communication, but they do prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on more precise academic vocabulary will help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the benefits outweighs' should be 'the benefits outweigh') and punctuation errors, particularly with the misuse of 'however' in the third paragraph. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of your message. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct placement of conjunctive adverbs. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also help you achieve a higher band score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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