Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-04

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)

Every undergraduate program in university should have a set period of time taking education abroad or have an internship. One of the major benefits of working or studying in another country will be the opportunity of learning new skills as well as have different social interactions that will make students more confident. However, the downsides are experiencing difficulty in settling to the new environment and having negative impacts on their health.

One of the leverage in spending sometime abroad is learning new skills and implementing those skills in practical life. This experience of being in a new environment will improve their cognitive ability of how they perceive new challenges and how effectively they handle them, this will enhance their problem solving ability. Moreover, moving abroad for sometime will have a positive impact on their social interaction skills as they will be able to adapt and make new friends. They will learn to communicate more effectively and with people from different background. For instance, student who travel to different places have broader thinking and have more knowledge of places they travel to.

Studying abroad also comes with some drawbacks as well. One of the prominent obstacle that students face is lack of adapting and having difficulty settling abroad. Living alone will have some detrimental effect on their health and they can even suffer from anxiety or depression. Furthermore, the feeling of not belonging to that country will make them feel awkward and can have negative impact on their performance. For example, I know many of my classmate who had hard time getting used to of the unfamiliar places and experienced depression.

In conclusion, I believe the advantages of studying abroad outweighs the disadvantages as the benefits including multiple opportunities and useful social interactions with students of other countries. Meanwhile, the downsides involves unable to settle in foreign country and feeling of awkwardness.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as skill acquisition and social development, though the development is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the second paragraph discusses 'learning new skills' and 'problem-solving' in a way that overlaps. The conclusion is present but slightly underdeveloped, merely restating the points rather than synthesizing them. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced examples and ensure each paragraph offers a distinct, well-supported argument that moves the discussion forward rather than restating the same concepts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover,' 'Furthermore,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'One of the leverage in spending sometime abroad.' Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their intended antecedents.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'detrimental effect' and 'cognitive ability.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'One of the leverage' (should be 'advantages'), 'getting used to of' (should be 'getting used to'), and 'student who travel' (should be 'students who travel'). These errors do not impede communication, but they limit the score as they demonstrate a lack of precision in more complex lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'the advantages... outweighs' (should be 'outweigh') and 'downsides involves' (should be 'involve'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences, such as '...handle them, this will enhance their problem solving ability.' To improve, focus on ensuring that subjects and verbs agree and that complex sentences are punctuated correctly to avoid comma splices.

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