Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-03

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 widely believed that all undergraduate courses offer in a university should include a time period in which students can go abroad for study or doing a job in a workspace. As far as I am concerned, I completely agree with this view point because studying abroad or working in a market may give a student exposure and confidence.

One of the main advantages of studying abroad is that it gives students not only an international exposure but also an opportunity of learning in a competitive environment. Furthermore, students may improve their communication skills by interacting with international students. Additionally, doing work during studies gives students a confidence and an experience of an industry. As a result, student can learn a lot from industry professionals and international people. For example, a student having international experience and good communication skills may get a highly paid job compared with others.

On the other hand, studying abroad and doing work during studies offers some disadvantages also at the same time. A significant disadvantage of doing work during studies is that it puts unnecessary pressure on the students. This is due to the reason that students may not be able to manage their time properly. Moreover, students have to mange multiple things such as food, hostel along with their studies in abroad that take time. As a result, students spend a lot of their time in managing other things and may face a significant loss in their studies. For Instance, a student went for studying abroad but may feel under pressure face a loss of study.

In conclusion, although studying abroad or work placement has many disadvantages, I believe that its benefits such as international experience, makes student confident and learning from industrial experts outweigh its disadvantages.

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 international exposure and industry experience are relevant, as are the counter-arguments concerning time management and pressure. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the example provided in the third paragraph is vague and repetitive, lacking the depth required for a higher band. To improve, you should aim to provide more specific, well-reasoned examples that illustrate your points more clearly rather than relying on general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions between ideas. However, some of these devices are used in a slightly mechanical way, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the phrase 'doing work during studies' is used multiple times in close proximity. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring that pronouns or synonyms are used to avoid repetitive phrasing would help the flow of your writing feel more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'competitive environment', 'industry professionals', and 'unnecessary pressure'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'doing a job in a workspace' (better: 'undertaking a work placement') and 'mange multiple things' (spelling error: 'manage'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. To improve, focus on learning collocations—words that naturally go together—and try to incorporate more academic, topic-specific terminology to enhance the sophistication of your arguments.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'all undergraduate courses offer in a university' (should be 'offered by universities'), 'gives students a confidence' (article error), and 'face a loss of study' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure could be more varied to improve the flow. To reach a higher band, focus on eliminating basic errors in subject-verb agreement and article usage, and practice using more complex sentence forms with greater accuracy.

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

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