Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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 7.0)

It is argued that there should be a mandatory time period to study in a foreign country or pursue an internship for students pursuing a bachelor's degree. In my opinion, the benifit of having a more competitive CV outweigh the detrimental effects that are having to get used to a different environment.

Having to study abroad or working are important contributions to an undergraduates profile. Recently, the job market has been becoming more competitive, with entry-level jobs being especially hard to get. Recruiters often look for candidates who have either previous working experience, or have the ability to be spontaneous. The proposed mandatory commitment would increase the chances for students to seek employment after finishing their studies, which I believe is the most important thing, when finishing university. The majority of Ivy League Universities have already implemented such programs to boost their students future chances, which should be replicated by more institutions worldwide.

Although the advantages are convincing, students have to endure the experience of a new culture (either professionally or based on the nation). When these young adults are thrown into a completly foreign environment, they might experience anxiety or stress. This could have adverse effects for not only their experience there, but also their future overall. While I think it is relevant to discuss this, this argument represents only a marginal proportion of the students that studied abroad or worked and is therefore unsignificant. For example, while many students visiting Indonesia for their studies felt home-sick in the first weeks, most of them reported satisfaction overall with their experience and though it was important for their further lifes.

In conclusion, I think that the proposed mandatory semester abroad or at an internship is an excellent idea because of the future implications for their employment. Only a slight proportion of students will have a bad experience, but this cannot outweigh the advantage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have clearly addressed the prompt by taking a position and supporting it with relevant arguments. You discuss both the benefits (employability) and the drawbacks (stress/anxiety), ultimately justifying why the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the link between work experience and modern job market demands. To reach a higher band, ensure that your counter-argument is balanced with more depth; while you dismiss the negative impact as 'unsignificant', providing a more nuanced view of how universities could mitigate these challenges would strengthen your argument further.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'While', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be more fluid to better connect the benefits to the drawbacks. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'mandatory commitment', 'adverse effects', and 'marginal proportion' show an awareness of academic style. There are a few minor errors, such as 'benifit' (spelling) and 'unsignificant' (non-standard word choice; 'insignificant' is correct). While the vocabulary is adequate and generally accurate, incorporating more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic academic expressions would help elevate the score to the next level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, which ensures that communication is never impeded. There are occasional slips, such as 'the benifit... outweigh' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'completly' (spelling). Additionally, the phrase 'though it was important for their further lifes' contains a minor grammatical error ('lives' is the plural of 'life'). Despite these occasional inaccuracies, your control over complex structures is generally good.

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

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