Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-29

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)

It is argued that college undergraduate courses should include an amount of time invested studying in a foreign land or performing a work placement. I believe that it has certain pros and cons while advantages outweighs disadvantages.

On one hand, which I support is that university undergraduate students are required to have practical skills and knowledge on their course. Due to pupils studying abroad or doing a work placement helps them to gain additional knowledge and global exposure. Information on their subject benefits the learner in providing work experience. For instance, a student who spent time studying in a foreign land or doing a work placement will have a higher chance of employment contrast to the other students.

Furthermore, pupils have better employment rates abroad. In additional, employers will hire an individual with work experience and people who adapt quickly. This gives them a better opportunity due to their enhanced skills.

On the other hand, students need to adapt abroad while studying. As it is an unfamiliar land learners experience discomfort initially. They have to establish a new life abroad which is significantly difficult. There will be a financial burden on the family as well as the student. For example, an individual from low-income family will struggle the most compared to a rich family.

In conclusion, gaining knowledge abroad or doing a work placement is crucial for students to improve their skills and benefits them in having work experience. Therefore I firmly believe that pupils must spend time studying abroad or doing a work placement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding the benefits of practical experience and the challenges of adaptation are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about employment is mentioned twice without significant expansion, and the discussion on financial burdens is brief. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these experiences translate into long-term career success or personal development. The conclusion clearly restates your position, ensuring the task requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition 'In additional' is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow. Additionally, some sentences within paragraphs lack strong logical links, making the progression of ideas feel slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence builds directly upon the previous one would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'undergraduate courses', 'work placement', and 'global exposure'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'studying in a foreign land' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'contrast to the other students' (which should be 'in contrast to'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the essay. Expanding your vocabulary to include more nuanced synonyms will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'Due to pupils studying abroad... helps them' is a fragmented structure, and 'advantages outweighs' contains a subject-verb agreement error. There are also issues with prepositions and word forms, such as 'In additional' instead of 'In addition'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and sentence construction will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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