Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-18

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)

University education plays an essential role in people's life for getting suitable job. While, it is widely believed that all university undergraduate courses might include some period for studying abroad or doing a work placement. I believe that the advantages of this development outweigh its disadvantages.

On the one hand, one of the main reasons to provide information about work placement helps students develop core practical skill, experience about workplace. Students may have core skills such as critical thinking, pressure management to tackle pressure situations. For instance, employees who already developed their practical skills while graduating may experience a better understanding of work. In addition, devoting time to provide knowledge about studying abroad might help students for their further studies in another country by providing information about money management, discomfort or many more which assist pupils. For example, students who want to study abroad might learn core skills such as cooking, money management and earnings. As a result, university courses play a crucial role for students' further studies weather in employment or studying abroad. Hence, university courses should be focused on informing students for upcoming life challenges.

On the other hand, focus on modules such as studying abroad and work placement are quite expensive because tools and technics are required to inform undergraduates about those topics. Moreover, while developing skills about workplace and studying abroad students may experience a lower amount of time for their academic study and find difficult arrange both skills at a time. To exemplify, undergraduates who plan to study abroad might have to manage their academic study and develop essential skill required in studying abroad. Consequently, students find difficult manage both learnings at a time. Therefore, students have to prepare schedule to manage to learn both skills.

In conclusion, although undergraduates may find difficult to manage both academic and work placement study at a same time, I believe benefits of this development outweigh drawbacks because those skills are require for students' further studies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You have identified both advantages and disadvantages, which is essential for a balanced argument. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the discussion on 'money management' and 'cooking' as core skills for studying abroad is a bit narrow. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting points are more varied and analytical rather than listing basic life skills. The conclusion clearly restates your position, which helps in maintaining a consistent argument throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphing. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, particularly the use of 'For instance' and 'To exemplify' in close proximity. Additionally, some sentences are slightly disjointed, such as 'While, it is widely believed that all university undergraduate courses might include...'. Improving the flow between sentences by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'undergraduate', 'practical skill', and 'work placement'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'weather in employment' (should be 'whether') and 'find difficult arrange' (missing 'to'). You rely on some basic phrasing, and the repetition of 'core skills' and 'study' limits the sophistication of your lexical range. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and avoid repeating the same words in close proximity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a positive step. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as missing articles ('at a same time'), incorrect verb forms ('skills are require'), and missing prepositions ('find difficult manage'). While your meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are punctuated correctly to improve accuracy.

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

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