Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-13

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 6.5)

Nowadays, several universities opt to introduce hybrid undergraduate courses, that include semester exchange programs with foreign universities or corporate placement for a certain interval of time. This idea of hybrid courses offers significant advantages such as it allow students to get foreign exposure and better practical learning experience through semester exchange programs and temporary internship opportunities. On the other hand, that also have certain disadvantages such as it consumes the academic time period that should be otherwise utilised to focus on the core subjects and additionally the foreign study for a certain period of time is not financially feasible for a considerable number of students. However, I believe that the advantages of such hybrid undergraduate courses outweigh its disadvantages, given the fact that industrial experience and foreign exposure is far more valuable for one's career.

Traditional courses that we have had since many years, greatly includes nothing more than academic classes and lectures along with a few practical classes performed in a similar academic environment. The idea of hybrid courses introduces two major shifts in the traditional system by introducing the opportunity to participate in semester exchange programs. These programs allows the students to travel to a foreign country, where they get the opportunity to experience foreign university and its curriculum. Moreover, students also get the opportunity to explore foreign culture and places. Secondly, temporary internship opportunities helps the students to step out of the academic atmosphere and allows them to gain valuable industrial experience. For instance, according to a study by the Oxford University, It was found that students having work experience beforehand, generally tend to get better placement offers. Thus, such experiences outside the traditional academic curriculum greatly help the students in the betterment of their career.

Apart from the benefits, there are certain disadvantages of such hybrid undergraduate courses. Disadvantages such as it consumes valuable academic time to make room for those extra activities like internships and exchange programs, but considering a bigger picture, it is understandable that those activities eventually contribute to the academic profile. Moreover, financial feasibility is also a factor that discourages a significant number of students in opting for the semester exchange program. However, in today's era various scholarships and student aid programs helps the students financially to full fill those monetary requirements. For example, in an article published by the Times of India magazine, it was outlined that student scholarships have increased by a larger amount in the last decade, which has proven it greatly beneficial for a large number of students.

In conclusion, hybrid university courses that includes the options such as semester exchange programs and internship opportunities provide with several advantages and disadvantages. Where the advantages clearly have a much more positive impact on one's career and the disadvantages are such that, they can be easily overcome with catalyst such as student scholarships. Thus, in my opinion the advantages of hybrid courses completely outweigh their disadvantages.

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 well-developed, with specific points regarding practical experience and financial support. The inclusion of examples, such as the reference to Oxford University and the Times of India, adds depth to the argument. However, the development is slightly repetitive in the conclusion, and some points could be more nuanced to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question, maintaining a consistent stance throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Thus' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing (e.g., 'that also have' in the first paragraph lacks a clear antecedent). Nevertheless, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure supports the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses some academic collocations like 'financial feasibility', 'academic curriculum', and 'industrial experience'. However, there are some word choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'full fill' (fulfill) and 'catalyst such as' (which is used incorrectly here). The range is adequate to convey meaning clearly, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band. The repetition of certain phrases like 'hybrid undergraduate courses' also limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it allow students', 'programs allows', 'internship opportunities helps'). Additionally, there are punctuation and article usage errors throughout the text. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The student attempts complex structures, but the control over them is inconsistent. Improving accuracy in basic subject-verb agreement and refining sentence construction would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

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