Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-12

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)

Education plays vital role in society.It is often argued that all undergraduate students should be required to spend a period studying abroad or complete work placement.This trend not only have myriad of benefits but also carries few drawbacks.

Commencing with most prominent advantage, students can gain a real world experience which is almost impossible to obtain in classroom.A work placement for example, student can apply their academic knowledge to real world and develop skills like communication, teamwork and problem solving.Study abroad in particular, forces people out from their comfort zone and help to navigate new circle, often new language and unfamiliar academic systems, this type of stretch tend to build resilience and confidence.Moreover, people who have work experience in their resume have higher chances to get jobs in future.

On the other hand, Making such programmes mandatory could create financial and personal discomfort.Studying in another country may involve expensive travel, accommodation and living costs, which can put burden on lower-income families.In addition, some students have caring responsibilities or health related issues that make overseas study or full-time work placement unsuitable.Therefore, universities need to provide financial support or alternative options to ensure that policy is fair.

In conclusion, although compulsory overseas study or work experience could create financial and practical challenges, the development of professional skills, independence and cultural awareness would provide substantial long term benefits.Therefor,I believe the advantages of this approach would outweigh its disadvantages, provide that universities should offer sufficient financial assistance and flexibility, specially to lower income families.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant and logically extended, such as the discussion on professional skill development and the counter-argument regarding financial and personal barriers. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of the 'long-term benefits' mentioned in the conclusion to further strengthen the argument. Overall, the task is well-addressed with a balanced view.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Commencing with', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, there are minor issues with punctuation and spacing (e.g., missing spaces after periods like 'society.It' and 'trend not'), which occasionally makes the flow feel slightly mechanical. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring consistent punctuation would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good collocations like 'academic knowledge', 'caring responsibilities', and 'cultural awareness'. There is an attempt to use less common items, though some phrasing is slightly repetitive or imprecise, such as 'real world experience' and 'personal discomfort'. There are also minor errors in article usage and word choice (e.g., 'put burden' instead of 'put a burden'). The range is sufficient to convey ideas clearly, but more sophisticated vocabulary would be needed for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent minor errors, particularly with articles ('a real world experience', 'the policy'), subject-verb agreement ('This trend not only have'), and missing spaces after punctuation. Complex structures are attempted, such as the conditional in the conclusion ('provide that universities should offer'), but the phrasing is slightly awkward. The majority of sentences are understandable, but the frequency of small grammatical slips prevents a higher score.

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

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