Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-08

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)

Studying in foreign country or work placement should be involved in all bachelor degree programs of university. I think the advantage of this approach would outweigh the drawbacks because of the exposure and work experience offered by internship or abroad fellowship can contribute to further development of students.

Some people think college undergraduate courses should involve exposure to foreign learning or time to spend on practical work experience. The main benefit of this approach is that students can learn how the education system works in other countries, which opens up further career options for learners. For instance, a marketing course in India offers their students three weeks of fellowship in one of Canadian universities where students can explore post graduation programs for future study. Secondly, providing some work experience during a course can help students to figure out whether to pursue a future career in the same field of study or need to explore other options. For example, many dental colleges offer work experience in university hospitals, expose students to real patients.

However, the international study approach can put financial burden on parents, which can be overcome by scholarship programs offered by universities.

In conclusion, the benefits of foreign study and work experience while pursuing the undergraduate course clearly outweighs the drawback, taking some extra steps.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas regarding career exploration and educational exposure are relevant, they are not fully developed. The conclusion is brief and lacks a summary of the main points. Because the response is under-length, it fails to meet the full requirements of the task, resulting in a lower score for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Secondly', and 'However' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical, and the transition between the benefits and the counter-argument is abrupt. The paragraphing is sufficient, but the overall structure feels underdeveloped due to the brevity of the response. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow could be improved with more sophisticated linking phrases.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'undergraduate courses', 'fellowship', and 'post graduation programs'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise collocations. Some phrasing is slightly unnatural, such as 'Studying in foreign country' (missing article) and 'abroad fellowship'. To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate a wider range of academic vocabulary and improve precision in word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('in foreign country', 'in one of Canadian universities') and minor punctuation issues. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The control over complex structures is inconsistent. To improve, the student should focus on article usage, subject-verb agreement, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy.

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

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