Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-20

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)

Most universities undergraduate courses encourage students to studey abroad for a period of time, or to spend some time doing professional work. In my opinion this has multiple advantages, however, there are some disadvantages too.

Encouraging students to spend some time studying abroad can be a fruitful addition to their undergraduate studies. Spending even a semester abroad will provide students a good knowledge of the culture of that country. They can use this knowledge to build products that are helpful to other countries too. For example, an undergraduate student from the UK who spent nearly fours months in India will have more diverse information on people's behaviour than a student who spent his undergraduate only in the UK, and the student with more diverse cultural knowledge is in better position to build something that is helpful to the people of both the UK, and India. Furthermore, in terms of placement work, this helps student apply the theories learnt in their classrooms to the practical scenarios to solve some problems. Additionally, this also helps students to be well prepared for their after-study work, because often employers look for candidates who have some prior work experience.

However, this has multiple disadvantages too. Studying abroad for even a semester can put significant amount of financial pressure on students, especially students who already have taken a loan for their undergraduate studies. In terms of placement work, this puts additional workload on students. Additionally, sometime placement work may not align with what a student wants to do in their future. For example, a student who wants go for heigher studies after their completing their undergraduate may not benefit from professional work.

In conclusion, I think that advantage of study abroad or doing placement work in undergraduate outweigh the disadvantages, as it help students experience different set of culture, and prepare them for post-study work.

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, such as cultural exposure and employability, and are supported by examples like the UK-India student scenario. However, the development is somewhat limited; the discussion on disadvantages is brief, and the argument could be strengthened by exploring how universities might mitigate these issues (e.g., scholarships for financial pressure). While the position is consistent, the depth of analysis remains at a functional level rather than a fully extended one, which is characteristic of a Band 6.5 or 7.0 response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. The progression of ideas is clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive links to avoid a formulaic structure. Overall, the essay is easy to follow and meets the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with clear attempts to use topic-specific language like 'professional work', 'practical scenarios', and 'financial pressure'. There are some minor errors, such as 'studey' (spelling) and 'heigher' (spelling), as well as slightly awkward phrasing like 'diverse information on people's behaviour'. While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band. The student uses common vocabulary effectively but does not consistently demonstrate the ability to use less common lexical items with full accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'provide students a good knowledge' (missing preposition 'with'), 'spent his undergraduate' (should be 'undergraduate studies'), and 'advantage of study abroad' (should be 'advantages of studying'). Punctuation is generally correct, but there are minor slips in article usage and verb agreement. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching the Band 7.0 level, where the majority of sentences should be error-free.

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

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