Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-01

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)

Nowadays, some people believe that all universities courses should include studying aboard or doing a work placement. This essay will discuss advantages and disadvantages in a following paragraphs.

To begin with, studying or working aboard helps students to gain practical skills that they cannot learn in a classroom. In other words, when students live in another country, they learn to communicate with people from different countries and solve everyday problem on their own, such as finding accommodation or managing money. However, they can improve their confidence and skills. For example, a survey conducted by education department showed that student who completes an internship at foreign company can learn how to work in professional companies. Hence, student who have foreign workplace experience often find jobs easily.

On the other hand, it is true that such programmes can be expensive and some students may not be able to afford to travel or live aboard. In addition, there is also a risk that time spent away could delay their degree. Also, these courses include extra time. For instance, a study showed that many universities now offer scholarships to study or work aboard that is less expensive than programme and it occurs during summer break. Hence, with right support from universities, problem could be solved and student can learn easily.

In conclusion, all university should include a period of time spent studying aboard or doing a work placement to improve student's practical skills but these are more expensive and time consuming courses that could delay completion of student's degree.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, providing both advantages and disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention practical skills and financial concerns, the arguments lack depth. For instance, the point about 'delaying their degree' is mentioned but not fully explored. The position is clear, but the conclusion is slightly contradictory; you argue for the inclusion of these programs but then highlight significant drawbacks without explicitly stating that the advantages outweigh them. To improve, ensure your position is consistent throughout and provide more detailed explanations for each point.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'these' in the conclusion. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect sentences more naturally rather than relying on simple conjunctions.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'internship', 'scholarships', and 'practical skills'. However, there are recurring spelling errors, most notably 'aboard' instead of 'abroad'. There is also a lack of variety in your word choice; for example, you repeat 'students' and 'universities' frequently. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations, and ensure you check for common spelling mistakes that could have been avoided.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('at foreign company', 'problem could be solved') and subject-verb agreement issues ('all university should', 'student who completes'). These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage and pluralization. Incorporating more complex sentence forms, such as conditional clauses or relative clauses, with greater accuracy would help you achieve a higher score.

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