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)

All higher educational institutes should include a time period for studying outside the country or doing a work placement in their undergraduate courses. In my opinion, this change is more advantageous and will help students to gain real world experience and to find more opportunities outside their courses. Firstly, this small change will modify the structure of the education system. This will give time to the students to learn new skills and gain knowledge by doing real world projects. In today's world, where we often see rapid growth in advancements of technology, this practice has become a must for students. For example, in Pakistan, the Higher Education Commission has made it compulsory for BS students to do at least 1 internship in summer vacations. If the students are given opportunities to study abroad, like in exchange programs, this will help them to work and learn under highly qualified teachers and open other gates of opportunities. Gaining professional experience and learning new concepts will definitely help the pupils to secure a better job. For instance, most companies take in their interns as full-time employees because they adapt themselves better to the environment and the nature of the work. Lastly, there are some disadvantages as well. Students may get distracted and start prioritizing job over education. Ultimately, some of them quit their studies to earn money. In conclusion, I agree that including this time period will benefit the students and has fewer disadvantages. This will change their lives and help them to grow in their desired fields.

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. You provide relevant examples, such as the internship requirement in Pakistan, which supports your argument well. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the benefits of real-world experience and networking, the discussion of the disadvantages is brief and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the counter-arguments and provide more nuanced analysis of how the benefits specifically outweigh these drawbacks. The structure is logical, but the overall depth of the argument could be improved by exploring the long-term implications of such a policy for universities and students alike.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'For example', and 'In conclusion' to link your ideas. However, the transition between the benefits and the disadvantages is somewhat abrupt. The flow could be improved by using more sophisticated linking phrases to signal the shift in perspective. Additionally, some sentences are slightly repetitive in their structure, which makes the progression feel a bit mechanical at times. Improving the variety of cohesive devices would help the text flow more naturally and demonstrate a higher level of control over the discourse.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'compulsory', 'advancements', and 'professional experience' appropriately. However, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. There are instances where word choice could be more precise; for example, 'open other gates of opportunities' is a slightly awkward collocation. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and less common lexical items that demonstrate a broader range. The current vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher band scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are some grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'advancements of technology' (should be 'technological advancements') and 'prioritizing job over education' (should be 'prioritizing jobs over education'). You demonstrate a good grasp of basic sentence construction, but the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. To achieve a higher score, focus on using a wider variety of subordinate clauses and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement. The errors present do not impede communication, but they do highlight a need for more careful proofreading and structural variety.

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