Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-09

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)

Nowadays, people believe that undergraduate courses in all university should offer additional of time spent on studying abroad or doing a work placement. As per my view it is advantageous development for all university students as it offers several benefits.

On the one hand, there are multiple reason why all university may include additional period. one primary goal is when student learn about different cultures and languages it will help them to broaden their bounties. For instants, student who has different types of knowledge apart from their main studies may develop indispensable skills such as critical thinking and and better discipline as it help them to get more opportunity when they complete their graduation. Secondly, they can learn about real industrial requirement through internship and practical projects. As a result, they remain motivated and satisfied with their studies.

On the other hand, there are certain drawbacks to include additional time in their main studies. As it affect their productivity students may distract from their graduation because many student found that difficult to spend their time in extra activities they become counterproductive and loose control on their confidence. Secondly, living in different countries may expensive every students can not afford cost of living in abroad. For example, many student deny to study abroad because tuition fees they are brilliant in their studies but due to this consequence student may drop their plan.

In conclusion, Although this development offers certain drawbacks but advantages are more realistic then it easily outweigh the drawbacks in every sector.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the point about students losing confidence due to extra activities is asserted but not fully explained or supported with a concrete example. While the main arguments are relevant, the discussion lacks depth in certain areas, such as the financial implications, which are mentioned but not explored in detail. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task, but the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as the transition 'For instants' (should be 'For instance') and the awkward phrasing in the conclusion. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'many student found that difficult to spend their time', where the subject-verb agreement and pronoun usage create a slight disruption in flow. The progression of ideas is logical, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'indispensable', 'counterproductive', and 'realistic', which shows a decent range. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'broaden their bounties' (likely meaning 'horizons'), 'loose control' (should be 'lose'), and 'deny to study' (should be 'decline the opportunity'). These errors do not impede communication, but they highlight a lack of precision in word choice that prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('all university should offer', 'many student found'), article usage ('the cost of living in abroad'), and punctuation errors. For example, the sentence 'Although this development offers certain drawbacks but advantages are more realistic then it easily outweigh the drawbacks' contains multiple errors in structure and word choice. These errors are noticeable and occur frequently, though they do not prevent the reader from understanding the writer's intended meaning.

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

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