Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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)

The unparalled significance of education along with employment cannot be refuted as it has close relevance to our daily lives. All institutes curicullum should incorporate the period of further studies abroad and employment under thier supervision as it may leads to several benefits. Although this method has certain drawbacks, I strongly believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in this case.

One of the major advantage this trend offers is the exposure and experience which is essential for working with associations. Having suitable experience required for a relevant job mitigates the gap between graduation and unemployment for students. As these extra courses at universities can prepare students for the job market by giving them exposure and knowledge regarding their future professional life. Moreover,extra lectures provided by institutes can also facilitate students with significant benefits, for those who want to study abroad.These lectures can assist students with the relevant information and guidance which is needed for the next procedure for thier higher studies.

In spite of this, there are also some negative consequences that needed to be address. Firstly, extra lectures for future studies and employment can impose more workload on students. As they already several acedemic course to study. Meanwhile, students have to learn several aspect of thier course work, an extra course will leads them to feel more pressure and stress about their studies.

In conclusion, while these courses have certain drawbacks such as stress and workload, it also benefit students in terms of experience and guidance which is more significant. Therefore, I believe advantages of additional period of time for studing abroad and work placement clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in university undergraduate courses, and presents a clear position throughout. The main ideas are relevant and supported, notably when discussing work experience, future employment, and stress management. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise or remain slightly under-developed, such as the mention of 'extra lectures' rather than fully integrated study abroad and work placement periods. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements for Band 6.5 to Band 7.0, showing a clear stance and addressing the prompt adequately. In this case, a Band 6.5 is awarded because some points lack full extension and slip into generalities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into a clear four-paragraph structure comprising an introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. There is a clear logical progression throughout the text. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'One of the major advantage', 'Moreover', 'In spite of this', and 'In conclusion' are used to connect ideas, although some referencing is slightly faulty or mechanical (e.g., 'One of the major advantage' lacks plural agreement). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader through the writer's argument. These features align well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors, resulting in a solid Band 6.5 score for overall logical sequencing and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, using terms such as 'significance', 'incorporate', 'mitigates', 'unemployment', and 'professional life'. However, there are numerous noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'unparalled' (unparalleled), 'curicullum' (curriculum), 'thier' (their), 'advantage' instead of 'advantages', and 'studing' (studying). While these errors do not severely impede communication, their frequency prevents the score from reaching a higher band. The lexical range is adequate for the task, making Band 6.0 the most appropriate descriptor matching this level of control and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'for those who want to study abroad' and 'while these courses have certain drawbacks... it also benefit students'. However, there are frequent grammatical and mechanical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'it may leads', 'they already several acedemic course', 'an extra course will leads'), spelling errors, and missing articles. These errors occasionally disrupt the flow of reading, though they rarely obscure the overall meaning. This profile fits the Band 6 descriptor, which accounts for a mix of structures alongside frequent minor errors.

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

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