Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-16

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)

All university undergraduate courses must incorporate a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work internship. I believe its advantages outweigh its disadvantages. Studying and working abroad open the doors of opportunities for the students. It helps to build their competence, confidence and creativity. However, it increases the financial burden on the students.

One significant advantage is that, studying abroad broadens the horizons of students by giving them opportunities to interact and share ideas with the other students globally. Consequently, it enhances communication skills and encourages the critical thinking and enables them to explore and demystify the complicated research ideas in their field of studies and work on its practical applications for the welfare of their society. Work placement during graduation provides useful insight about the work ethics and practical implementation of their knowledge. These internships build the sense achievement in the students and enhance their competence and problem solving skills. For instance, a survey revealed that students who spent time abroad for study had better set of skills and had more employment chances.

However, one major drawback is that studying abroad adds additional cost of living and accommodation and it increases the financial burden of the students. Moreover, students may face homesickness because of separation from friends and family which cause anxiety and depression. This results in the disruption of his studies. For example, research has shown that the students in abroad felt more anxious and depressed because of lack of physical presence of loved ones.

In conclusion, despite some disadvantages, the benefits are far more significant because study and work in abroad gives chance to the students to explore the world and learn about their fields in more depth along with their practical implementation in real life work experiences.

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 are relevant, covering personal development, skill acquisition, and the counter-arguments of cost and emotional strain. However, the development is somewhat uneven; while the benefits are explored with some depth, the discussion on the disadvantages is slightly more superficial. To reach a higher band, you should ensure that the supporting examples, such as the mention of a 'survey' or 'research', are more specific or integrated more naturally into the argument to provide stronger evidence for your claims.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages from the disadvantages. You use cohesive devices such as 'consequently', 'moreover', and 'for instance' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the use of 'his' in 'disruption of his studies' when referring to students in general. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring consistent pronoun usage would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'incorporate', 'demystify', and 'practical implementation'. There are some minor errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'study and work in abroad' (should be 'abroad' without 'in') and 'better set of skills'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Expanding your use of academic collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing would help improve your score in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'the other students' (should be 'other students'), 'the students in abroad' (should be 'students abroad'), and 'cause anxiety' (should be 'causes'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct usage of articles and prepositions, as these are recurring issues throughout the text.

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