Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

In this competitive world, universities should include a duration of time spent studying abroad or doing internships for all undergraduate courses because it will give students practical knowledge and will also make them independent. However, it is an additional financial burden on many. I believe that the advantage of such experience will outweigh the disadvantages.

firstly, it is essential that all the university make these rules mandatory for all the undergratuates. This will help them to gain some practical experience of the subjects apart from the theoretical experience only. For example, if one wants to study Law from an Indian University, they need to do a compulsory one year internship under a lawyer to get final degree. Hence, practical hands-on experience is always beneficial as it gives better understanding of the subjects. Additionally, traveling abroad will make students independent and discipline. Moreover, understanding different cultures abroad will also further create various employment opportunities for them.

Conversely, although studding aboard will be a great experience for undergraduates, it can also be an obstacle for those who cannot afford the same. Travelling abroad can be an additional financial burden on some students because of the peer pressure even if they don't wish to travel.

To conclude, the universities should include studding in foreign land for a time period and doing work placement as a rule for its undergraduate courses because of its numerous advantages such as practicle skills and independence but they should also be considerate of the detrimental effect, it will have on certain children owning to unnecessary financial burden.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of practical experience and independence. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding the disadvantages is underdeveloped; it mentions financial burden and peer pressure but does not fully explore how universities might mitigate these issues or provide a more nuanced view. While the position is clear throughout, the supporting arguments could benefit from more depth and specific examples beyond the brief mention of Indian law internships to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'firstly', 'additionally', 'moreover', and 'conversely' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between the ideas in the second paragraph could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, though the structure of the final sentence is a bit cluttered, which slightly affects the overall progression of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'detrimental effect' and 'mandatory'. However, there are several spelling errors ('studding' instead of 'studying', 'practicle' instead of 'practical', 'undergratuates' instead of 'undergraduates') and minor word choice issues ('owning to' instead of 'owing to'). These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band in this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is an attempt at complex sentences, such as 'Although studding aboard will be a great experience... it can also be an obstacle'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('all the university make') and article usage ('the advantage of such experience'). While these errors rarely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text, which limits the score in this category.

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

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