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 advantages in spending some time 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, students who travel to different places have broader thinking and 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 outweigh the disadvantages as the benefits includes multiple opportunities and useful social interactions with students of other countries. Meanwhile, the downsides involve unable to settle in a foreign country and feeling of awkwardness.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, particularly regarding the benefits of skill acquisition and social interaction. However, the discussion of the disadvantages is somewhat less developed, relying on general statements about health and anxiety. To reach a higher band, the student should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these challenges could be mitigated or why they are ultimately less significant than the long-term benefits. The conclusion is clear and reinforces the main argument effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'For instance', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, although the connection between the second and third paragraphs could be more fluid. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages from the disadvantages, which helps the reader follow the argument without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, such as 'detrimental effect' and 'cognitive ability'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'getting used to of' and 'lack of adapting'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Expanding the range of academic collocations and refining the use of prepositions would significantly improve the lexical quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'have different social interactions that will make students' (should be 'having'), 'some time' vs 'sometime', and 'many of my classmate' (should be 'classmates'). Punctuation is generally functional, though some comma splices occur, such as in the second paragraph. The control of grammar is sufficient for communication, but the frequency of minor errors in subject-verb agreement and pluralization limits the score.

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