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)

Recently, undergraduate university courses with a period for studying abroad or doing a work placement is increasing. There are several advantages in this development and it also has some disadvantages. I believe there are more merits than demerits in this development.

One major advantage of studying abroad or having a work placement with a university course is the exposure an individual can get. This is because, the student interacts with different kinds of people while studying in a foreign country or working. For example, if a student goes abroad to study or work in a major company, he can get useful experiences by having interactions with new and highly qualified people. This helps the students after their graduation in their professional life as they learn new skills and the culture of the country where they studied for a period of time.

However, studying abroad for a period of time has some disadvantages as well. One significant demerit is that if students are not ready for studying abroad without any assistance from their family, they can feel lonely or depressed. For instance, if an individual is not aware of the difficulties faced by students abroad, he can be anxious and may feel stressed. This results in students suffering from anxiety and depression.

I think university courses with work placement and study abroad opportunities for a time period have significantly more merits because of the experiences a student gets from these can be immensely beneficial for the future of practical and professional life of the individual.

In conclusion, university undergraduate courses including studying abroad or doing a work placement have both benefits and drawbacks. While the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in many aspects such as the exposure the student gets from the experiences.

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 undergraduate courses, and takes a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are generally relevant, but the development lacks depth and specific supporting evidence beyond general statements. For instance, the paragraph on advantages mentions getting 'useful experiences' and learning new skills, but these points remain somewhat under-developed rather than fully extended. Furthermore, the conclusion is fragmented and repetitive. Nevertheless, a clear position is maintained throughout, satisfying the requirements for Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Information and ideas are generally logical, and basic cohesive devices such as 'One major advantage', 'However', and 'For instance' are used to signal transitions. However, paragraphing is somewhat problematic; the conclusion is split into two very brief, disjointed paragraphs at the end of the text, which disrupts the flow and logical progression. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as using 'this development' repeatedly without entirely clear antecedents, and cohesive relationships can feel somewhat mechanical. This positions the response firmly at Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully discussing academic courses, professional life, and personal challenges. There are appropriate lexical items such as 'undergraduate university courses', 'exposure', 'professional life', and 'anxious and may feel stressed'. However, the vocabulary is often repetitive, relying heavily on words like 'students', 'abroad', and 'development'. There are also minor word choice and collocation infelicities, such as 'studying abroad without any assistance from their family' where 'living abroad' might be more precise. Less common lexical items are attempted with occasional inaccuracy, placing this performance at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional structures like 'if students are not ready... they can feel lonely' and relative clauses. There are, however, several noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. For example, the opening sentence 'Recently, undergraduate university courses with a period for studying abroad or doing a work placement is increasing' suffers from a subject-verb agreement error ('courses... is'). Additionally, sentences like 'the experiences a student gets from these can be immensely beneficial' are structurally incomplete. Errors in punctuation and phrasing occur, but they rarely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6 score.

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