Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-12

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 undergraduate students given a chance during their program to work and study abroad is beneficial on a smaller picture. It is unquestionable that it gives students a good exposure and give them an opportunity to compete among international students that helps them to polish their skills. However, it is a loss to their home country and all the efforts of the parent university goes in vain if they do not return back.

On the on hand, students who go abroad to study or work give them high level of exposure because of readily available resources, highly educated teachers, research opportunities and motivated colleagues. This creates a sense of competition among them as they are studying with students all over the world. Those students tend to get high paying jobs and get recruited in big companies. For instance, one of my friend was given a chance to study his last semester in univserity of Oregan. He did extremely well, and was recruited in the research department of the same university. Later on, he did his post graduation at MIT and ended up securing a place at Microsoft.

On the other hand, universities who give their time and effort to setup courses or work opportunities abroad for students become very frustrated when their students do not return back. We have seen majority of high achievers to stay back because they were offered well paying positions. Consequently, its a loss to their home countries as high achieving students prefers to settle down abroad and not willing to pursue career in their own country. As a result, universities will eventually stop giving such programs hence, creating a sense of discourgement among the new students. For example, in India AIMS used to send their students abroad to study initially, after a period of time they realised students were not coming back to serve their own country. Therefore, they completely shut down this program, closing stairs of opportunities for new students.

In conclusion, undergarduate students should not be sent abroad for study or any job because it is a waste of effort to the parent university if they do not return back. Although, going abroad opens the world of new technology,resources and well paying jobs for them but it's unfair to their own country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses. The writer presents a clear position throughout, concluding that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages due to the potential 'brain drain' for the home country. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of an Indian institute, AIMS. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise slightly in the conclusion and body paragraphs by assuming that students universally do not return, which places this response comfortably at Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. It follows a traditional structure with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs presenting opposing views, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed to signal transitions, such as 'On the on hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', although there is a slight typo in the first transitional phrase ('on the on hand'). Referencing is generally clear, though minor mechanical errors in cohesion slightly prevent the response from reaching higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary for some flexibility and precision, incorporating less common items such as 'brain drain' implications, 'resources', and 'research opportunities'. There are attempts at less common vocabulary with some minor inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'closing stairs of opportunities' instead of 'closing doors of opportunities', and 'return back' which is redundant. However, spelling is generally accurate and communication is never impeded, demonstrating a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures effectively. There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside a few persistent errors in grammar and punctuation, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('universities who give... become', 'high achieving students prefers') and minor prepositional slips. Punctuation is generally acceptable. The control of grammar is sufficient to allow easy reading, matching the descriptors for Band 6.5, which rounds to 6.5.

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