Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-24

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)

Education plays a vital role in everyone's life. Some people argue that all university undergraduate courses should include a period of studying abroad or completing a work placement. This essay will discuss both pros and cons and also explain why I believe the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

On the one hand, every university should include a period of studying abroad or work placement because this helps students to develop new skills for their education. In addition, developing new skills helps them to compete in today's world for better opportunities. Moreover, they get a chance to be exposed to different kinds of environments, where they can learn new cultures and traditions. On top of that, students will have better career opportunities in the future. Another advantage is that people can improve their interpersonal skills as well as communication skills by interacting with different personalities. For instance, an engineering student spent his study time doing an internship overseas can learn how to use professional equipment or work in a team, which helps the student to learn new skills as well as to develop communication skills. Therefore, there are numerous benefits to spending study time overseas or completing a work placement there.

On the other hand, people face some challenges when they go overseas. A compulsory break for studying or working abroad results in a shortage of time available for academic study. However, the universities force the syllabus on the students in a short period of time. Consequently, students will undergo pressure and stress. Moreover, a language barrier is one of the biggest hurdles because some people are not familiar with the native language abroad, so they face difficulties while shopping or following instructions in class. Furthermore, the cost of living is somewhat higher when compared to their country; people need to spend a larger sum of amount on accommodation and food. Hence, students face hardships such as the cost of living and language difficulties, and they undergo stress.

In conclusion, although studying abroad or completing a work placement can have some adverse effects, such as language barriers, high living costs and stress, I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. These experiences help students develop new skills, improve their interpersonal and communication abilities, and gain exposure to different environments, which can prepare them better for the job market.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing arguments for both sides. However, there is a significant contradiction between the introduction, which states the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, and the conclusion, which states the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This inconsistency undermines the clarity of your position. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second paragraph where 'developing new skills' and 'communication skills' are mentioned multiple times. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is consistent throughout and provide more specific, nuanced examples rather than general statements about 'an engineering student'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'Consequently' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two sides of the argument. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the transition between sentences feels more natural rather than relying on a standard list of connectors at the start of every sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'internship', 'syllabus', and 'interpersonal skills'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic words like 'skills' and 'advantages'. There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'spend a larger sum of amount', which is redundant. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and synonyms to avoid repetition and demonstrate a wider lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are occasional grammatical errors, such as 'an engineering student spent his study time doing an internship... can learn', which lacks a proper relative clause structure. Another example is 'the universities force the syllabus on the students in a short period of time', which is slightly unnatural in this context. Punctuation is generally accurate, but the sentence variety could be improved by using more sophisticated subordinating conjunctions or conditional structures to enhance the flow and complexity of your writing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.