Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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)

All undergraduate university courses should have a specific span of time being spent studying abroad or doing work placement. There can be pros and cons with ideas.

In my opinion, this should be the part of the curriculum. The students or the employess can learn more from a new place. A new woking place or a teaching institue has it's own style and policies. This can teach them adaptability and also enhance their social skills. People interacting with new people, with different ethnicity, with different races and different traditions, given them the opportunity to not only interect but also learn to accept the differences. This can enhace their exposure which might expand their learning horizon and vision.

Abroad, other countries might have more advanced way of teaching and also going from a third world country, it definitely brings economical benefits as well.

On the contrary, some people might find it difficult to adjust to the new environment and with new people. Not everyone can socialise and adjust to the new surroundings and it might take a toll on their mental health as well. Moreover, living away from your family and loved ones can also be a difficult thing to bear and the emotional burden can be huge. Studying abroad or working their means you will miss some important family events and occasions.

I went on electives to UK during my MBBS too. The health system, the professionalism and technology which was availabe there was far more advanced than what we have in pakistan. I learned to live and socialise with people from India, Bangladesh, London and also few from Italy. It was such a wholesome experience and shaped me into a better physcian as well.

In conclusion, the advantages are far greater than the disadvantages and if I were to become the chancellor or the authority, i would impose it today rather than tomorrow.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or doing work placements, and clearly states a personal position in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended with relevant supporting examples, such as the personal anecdote about undertaking electives in the UK for an MBBS degree. However, some arguments tend to over-generalize, and parts of the explanation regarding third-world countries and economic benefits are slightly under-developed. Despite these minor limitations, the overall response covers the prompt thoroughly and maintains a clear, consistent stance throughout, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors. Because of the clear position and relevant personal example, a band score of 6.5 is fully justified.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from introduction to body paragraphs and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately, separating the thesis, advantages, disadvantages, personal experience, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'On the contrary' and 'Moreover', though referencing is sometimes slightly faulty or mechanical (e.g., 'Working their means you will miss...'). While paragraph transitions could be smoother and more sophisticated, the logical organisation makes the writer's argument easy to follow, fitting comfortably into the Band 6.5 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common items such as 'adaptability', 'professionalism', 'wholesome experience', and 'economical benefits'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'employess' (spelling error), 'woking place', 'teaching institue', 'given them the opportunity', and 'working their' instead of 'working there'. Additionally, there are minor typographical errors ('pakistan' and 'i' uncapitalised). These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar with structures such as 'Not everyone can socialise and adjust to the new surroundings and it might take a toll...'. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several structural and agreement errors, such as 'has it's own style' (incorrect apostrophe use), 'given them the opportunity' (tense and agreement issue), and 'technology which was availabe there was far more advanced' (word order/punctuation issues). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 6.5, placing it securely at Band 6.0.

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

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