Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-11

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)

Many argue that undergraduate courses should have options to study in foreign countries or jobs related to the course. Even though there are certain disadvantages regarding this ; I believe the advantages will be superior as studying in other countries or having jobs during studies grants students to be experienced in their fields and exposes them to different education systems.

Firstly, having a job as an undergraduate student can have a significant impact on a student's learning process as it helps them to be more skilled at their relevant studies. In this modern era most of the companies usually search for candidates with more experience; as a result, the candidate with the most experience gets hired and eventually gets a better job opportunity. A classic example would be, many freshers looking for work opportunities in China usually need to show related work experience of a certain period of time. Even though it can be argued that having a job while studying can hamper studies of a student but the advantage of this is immense.

Secondly, the opportunity to study in the overseas as a part of undergraduate study is effective in a student's life as it makes them explore various education systems. Each institution's alumni has a distinct way of teaching and mindset, so staying in the same environment cannot give the verity to the learners to explore different education systems. There are certain restrictions about the foreign education as well like the visa processing might be overwhelming for students or the requirement of proper funding might be hindering as well. For instance, the education government of Bangladesh has now granted students the opportunity to study in a few English speaking countries resulting in solving the complications of visa or funding.

In conclusion, there are numerous disadvantages of undergraduate study having certain jobs options or courses in foreign countries but I think, the advantages like being skilled and exploring different learning systems can certainly be more noteworthy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas regarding work experience and studying abroad are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of freshers in China and government initiatives in Bangladesh. However, the development of the disadvantages is somewhat superficial; while you acknowledge them, they are not explored in depth. To reach a higher band, ensure that the counter-arguments are balanced with the main arguments, providing a more nuanced discussion of why the advantages are ultimately more significant.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main points. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'the education government of Bangladesh has now granted students the opportunity'. Additionally, the referencing in the second paragraph is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words beyond simple sequence markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'undergraduate', 'alumni', and 'work placement'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations, such as 'grants students to be experienced' (should be 'enables students to gain experience') and 'the education government' (should be 'the government's education policy'). To improve, focus on using more sophisticated academic collocations and ensure that words are used in their correct grammatical context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with article usage ('the overseas', 'the education government') and verb patterns ('grants students to be'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, notably the unnecessary space before the semicolon in the first paragraph. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing your control over complex sentence structures and proofreading for minor grammatical slips would significantly enhance your performance.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.