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)

It is often argued that undergraduate programmes should require students to spend a period studying overseas or gaining practical skills through a work placement. Although this may invovle financial and academic difficulties, I beleive the benifits are considerably greater becuase such experiences improve student's personal development and employability.

One of the main advantages is that students are able to bridge the gap between theroretical knowledge and pratical application. Furthermore, international study can help them to get different exposure of unfamiliar cultures, languages and way of thinking. Additionally, study abroad make them more independent where manage living and working without any help which develops confidence and responsibility.

Nevertheless, there can be disadvantages such as : studying abroad can be expensive and some of the students may experience homesickness or culture shock even sometimes work placement may increase academic pressure. Although such programmes may initially create financial pressure, but these problems can be reduced through scholarships univeristy funding and careful placement drives.

In an increasingly competitive job market, graduate with practical experience are often in a strong position than those who possess academic qualifications alone. For instance, a computer science student who compelets a internship at a technology company can gain experience in teamwork, software development and problem solving that cannot always acquires from classroom.

In conclusion, while compulsory study abroad programmes or work placements may create financial and academic challanges, I believe their advantages clearly outwieght these drawbacks because they provide students with practical skills, greater independence and improved career opurtunities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, considering both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses. The writer takes a clear position throughout the essay, stating in the introduction and conclusion that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The ideas presented, such as bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application, improving employability, and facing financial challenges, are relevant and extended. For example, the writer illustrates the benefits by mentioning a computer science student completing an internship. While some ideas could be slightly more deeply elaborated, the task response is well-rounded and satisfies the requirements effectively, earning a solid band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the advantages, the disadvantages, a detailed example, and finally a conclusive summary. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, with phrases like 'One of the main advantages', 'Furthermore', and 'Nevertheless' guiding the reader through the argument. However, there are some minor mechanical errors in cohesion, such as the run-on structure in 'Although such programmes may initially create financial pressure, but these problems...', where the use of both 'Although' and 'but' is redundant. Paragraphing is used appropriately, resulting in a cohesive structure overall that aligns well with the band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for an academic essay, incorporating useful phrases such as 'bridge the gap', 'theoretical knowledge', 'practical application', and 'competitive job market'. However, there are multiple spelling errors throughout the text, including 'invovle' (involve), 'beleive' (believe), 'benifits' (benefits), 'becuase' (because), 'theroretical' (theoretical), 'pratical' (practical), 'compelets' (completes), 'acquires' (acquire), 'challanges' (challenges), 'outwieght' (outweigh), and 'opurtunities' (opportunities). Despite these spelling inaccuracies, they do not impede communication because the intended meaning remains clear. The range of vocabulary is sufficient for flexibility and precision, but the frequency of spelling errors prevents the lexical score from reaching higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and subordinate clauses such as 'Although this may involve financial and academic difficulties...' and 'In an increasingly competitive job market, graduates with practical experience are often in a stronger position...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'study abroad make them more independent where manage living', 'some of the students', 'graduate with practical experience' (should be plural), and 'cannot always acquires' (should be 'be acquired'). Punctuation is also slightly flawed in places, such as missing commas and an unnecessary colon in the third paragraph. Despite these errors, the complex structures are generally understandable and do not impede the overall flow of communication.

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