Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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 6.5)

It is often argued that all university undergraduate cources should include a period of studing abroad or completing a work placement. Although this approach may have some disadvantages, I strongly beleive that the advantages outweigh them because students can gain valuable practical experience and develope important personal skills.

One major advantage of studing abroad or undertaking a work placement is that it allows students to gain practical knowledge beyond the classroom. University education generally focuses on theoretical concepts, whereas work placements give students an opportunity to apply what they have learned in real life situations. For example, a student studing business may understand marketing strategies theoretically, but working for a company would allow them to see how these strategies are actually implemented. This experience can make graduates more confident and better prepared for employment.

Another significant benefit of studying abroad is the opportunity to experience a different culture and develop independence. Living in another country requires students to communicate with people from different background, adapt to unfamiliar situations and manage their daily responsibilities. As a result, they can become more mature, open minded and adaptable. These qualities are increasingly valued by employers in todays globalised job market. In addition, iternational experience can improve students language and communication skills.

However, there are some potential disadvantags. Studing oversea can be expensive, particularly for students from low income families, while relocating to another country may also cause homesickness and stress. Similarly not every student may be able to find a suitable work placement related to their field of study.Nevertheless, universities could reduce these problemes by offering affordable exchange programmes, financial assistance and a range of local placement opportunities.

In conclusion, although compulsory oversea study or work placement may create financial and practical difficulties for some students, I believe their benefits are considerably greater. THhe practical experience, independance, cultural awareness and employability gained throung such opportunities can play an important role in preparing young people for their future career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including a period of study abroad or work placement in university undergraduate courses. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. The advantages are well-extended with relevant examples, such as business students understanding marketing strategies practically. The disadvantages, including financial costs, homesickness, and placement availability, are also addressed alongside feasible solutions. Ideas are well-developed and supported, fulfilling the Band 7 criteria effectively with clear extension.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, starting with the introduction, moving to practical experience, cultural benefits, counter-arguments, and a conclusive summary. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, such as 'One major advantage', 'Another significant benefit', 'However', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is handled sufficiently and effectively, providing a logical flow of ideas that aids readability and ensures the arguments build smoothly from one point to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, incorporating terms such as 'theoretical concepts', 'globalised job market', and 'financial assistance'. However, there are several spelling and typographical errors throughout the text, including 'cources' instead of 'courses', 'studing' instead of 'studying', 'develope' instead of 'develop', 'beleive' instead of 'believe', 'iternational' instead of 'international', 'disadvantags' instead of 'disadvantages', 'oversea' instead of 'overseas', 'problemes' instead of 'problems', 'independance' instead of 'independence', and 'throung' instead of 'through'. Despite these flaws, communication is not impeded, placing this safely in the Band 6 territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. Examples like 'University education generally focuses on theoretical concepts, whereas work placements give students an opportunity...' show good syntactic variety. However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation slips, such as missing apostrophes ('low income families' instead of 'low-income families') and missing commas after introductory transition phrases (e.g., 'Similarly not every student...'). While errors persist, they rarely impede communication, aligning with the Band 6 descriptors.

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