Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11

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)

All universities abroad that include doing work after their studies are the best way to train their students in more professional and physical skills. However, there are a few drawbacks that may have a negative impact on students.

There are several advantages for students after doing jobs and work at their universities. This can help students in their practical lives and also help them to manage their studies better. Students can do their academic courses practically, which helps them to learn from their mistakes. Moreover, students can do better in their practical lives because they can learn from their mistakes and improve their skills by doing work placements.

Another reason that is beneficial for students is financial support. Work placements give students an opportunity to earn from them because many universities pay their students when they are doing internships. Moreover, they can learn as well as earn to support themselves and their families. However, they don't wander around to get jobs. After doing work placements, students attain their work certificates, and due to their experience, they can get jobs easily. For example, a web developer can get a job easily after having an experience certificate.

There are also many disadvantages of doing work placements. The pay of students is limited as compared to the market. Moreover, they do proper work, but their salary is less. Another reason is for international students because if international students want to go to their homes after completing their degrees, they should have to do work placements; then they can go back to their countries. For example, students can first complete their work placements, then they can collect their degrees.

Overall, there are several advantages of doing work placements, but there are also many disadvantages. If universities have applied this activity for students, they should have to do this activity because it has many advantages for students as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of work placements. However, the position is not consistently clear throughout the essay. While you mention both sides, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second paragraph where 'learning from mistakes' is mentioned twice. The discussion regarding international students in the fourth paragraph is slightly confusing and lacks a clear link to the overall argument about whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. To reach a higher band, ensure each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported point that directly answers the 'do you think' aspect of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'However', and 'Another reason', but these are sometimes used mechanically or to link ideas that are not fully developed. The progression of ideas is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as the transition between the benefits of internships and the specific requirements for international students. Improving the logical flow between sentences and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'do jobs', 'do work', and 'get jobs' repeatedly. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'internships', 'work placements', and 'academic courses', but the overall lexical range is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of the topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, 'All universities abroad that include doing work... are the best way to train their students' is syntactically awkward. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'If universities have applied this activity... they should have to do this'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and subject-verb agreement.

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

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