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 advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

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 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant and logically grouped into pros and cons. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive; for instance, the second paragraph mentions 'developing new skills' multiple times without sufficient elaboration. While the example of the engineering student is relevant, it is a bit generic. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more specific, nuanced examples or deeper analysis of the long-term impact of these experiences on a student's professional trajectory, rather than listing multiple benefits in a single paragraph.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. You use a variety 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, and the flow between sentences can feel a bit list-like. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages from the disadvantages. To improve, focus on creating smoother transitions between sentences that show a deeper relationship between ideas, rather than just adding new points with transition words.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'interpersonal skills', 'hurdles', and 'adverse effects'. However, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. There are some minor collocation issues, such as 'spend a larger sum of amount', which should simply be 'spend a larger sum of money' or 'a larger amount of money'. To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and less common lexical items that demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of the topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and easy to follow, and errors are infrequent. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'an engineering student spent his study time doing an internship overseas can learn', which is a sentence fragment/run-on issue; it should be 'an engineering student who spends his study time... can learn'. Despite these occasional errors, your control of grammar is generally good, and the meaning is never obscured. Increasing the variety of complex structures would help elevate your score.

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

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