Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-10

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)

It is often argued that all university undergraduates should spend a period abroad or doing a work placement, which is involved in the curriculum. I believe that benefits outweigh the drawbacks even though they are several.

On the one hand, many students cannot afford studying abroad. To illustrate, some students spend their last savings to pay the university fees and they do not have enough money to study in a foreign country as they do not have an appropriate job yet. In addition, a considerable number of parents, particularly parents of a daughter do not allow them to spend a cross-border education as they do not want their child be far away from them. Moreover, a work placement often does not provide a salary, which can cause motivation to wane over time. For instance, scientists evident that getting a salary boosts an immune system and motivates to work harder but undergraduate students do not have a salary, and they loose their motivation while working.

On the other hand, there are a multitude of advantages of working and spending a semester abroad. To illustrate, it is crucial to foster critical thinking and getting vital experience for students, and this course is one of the biggest opportunities to get that. Additionally, working in teams foster networking and soft skills. For example, undergraduates learn how to communicate and work with colleges adequately and this leads to students who are able to communicate with everyone even in tough situations. Furthermore, many work placements offer a long-term job after their graduation from university, and this gives undergraduates a sense of safety when they think of their employment. For instance, if learners work hard during their work session, they can get a well- paid job, and advance in that company.

In conclusion, there are both advantages and disadvantages of working and studying abroad. However, I think that benefits outweigh the drawbacks in many cases.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, presenting a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as financial constraints and parental concerns for the disadvantages, and skill development for the advantages. However, some arguments are under-developed or rely on questionable logic, such as the claim that a lack of salary causes physical immune system issues. To reach a higher band, ensure that examples are more grounded in reality and that the development of each point is more balanced. The conclusion is a bit brief and could have better summarised the main arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used throughout, such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise (e.g., 'this course' in the second body paragraph is unclear as the prompt refers to a 'period of time'). The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their intended antecedents.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items like 'foster', 'critical thinking', and 'cross-border'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'scientists evident that' (should be 'scientists have shown that'), 'loose their motivation' (should be 'lose'), and 'colleges' (likely meant 'colleagues'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of the argument. Expanding your range of academic collocations and paying closer attention to word forms will help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is an attempt at complex grammar, there are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, article usage, and word form (e.g., 'afford studying' should be 'afford to study', 'parents of a daughter' should be 'parents of daughters'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors that persist. The majority of sentences are understandable, but the frequency of these grammatical slips prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical consistency would be highly beneficial.

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

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