Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

University students of undergraduates should get opportunity to study abroad for a time period or gaining practical experience through work placement.

Students should also focus on work placement because they get more practical experience, independence and exposure to new cultures. I believe that advantages would outweigh the disadvantages it can improve their personal and professional development.

One major advantage is that students can get exposure to new cultures, educational systems. This experience can help them to groom themselves for future and become more confident, independent. For example, if a student is living abroad he needs to manage their expenses, accommodation without relying on family members. This will help them to develop self empowerment for themselves.

Another advantage is that students can get a work experience and exposure to job markets related to their fields. Many students after graduation struggles to find jobs because they do not experience job market and they do not have any experience related to their work. By working in market can get them real work experience, improve their communication skills, build connections, learn teamwork skills.

However, only focus on studies can be ok but study abroad is not that much cheap students have to bear their travel expenses, living expenses, university fees. Many families could not afford this all expenses that why it's important to focus on their studies and as well as work placement too. Work placement should affect their studies and may also extend the duration of degree. If some students can't focus on both sometimes it's not easy for them university should support them financially.

In conclusion, study abroad programmes and work placement may create financial and practical challenges. They can help students gain experience, independence for their future. Therefore, I believe university should give students opportunities for study abroad for a period in undergraduate courses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements. The position is clear throughout, and the main ideas—personal development, employability, and financial constraints—are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'self empowerment' is introduced but not fully explored, and the discussion on financial barriers is a bit repetitive. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these programs impact a student's long-term career trajectory, rather than just listing benefits. The conclusion effectively summarizes your stance, maintaining a consistent position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'One major advantage,' 'Another advantage,' and 'However,' to link your points. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences is slightly disjointed, such as in the fourth paragraph where the transition between financial costs and the impact on degree duration is abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'practical experience,' 'educational systems,' and 'job markets.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'only focus on studies can be ok' and 'not that much cheap.' Additionally, some phrasing is repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'get' and 'experience.' To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and synonyms to avoid repetition and demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' job market), subject-verb agreement ('many students... struggles'), and sentence fragments or run-on sentences. For example, 'Many families could not afford this all expenses that why it's important...' is grammatically incorrect and hinders readability. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency of the text. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining your use of complex sentence structures will help improve your score in this criterion.

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

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