Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 believed that all the undergraduate courses across distinct universities should integrate a period that involves the duration spent studying abroad or working at a company. While this has significant advantages, it also has a few drawbacks. This essay will discuss both the views along with their merits and demerits.

One major advantage is that a university can offer job opportunities to the students who are neither studying nor working. This can be very helpful for the students as they get placement assistance. For instance, a student who is actively seeking a job can reach out to placement cell for potential job openings. Moreover, this will not only help him in finding a job but also help in reaching out to alunmi of the university.

There are a few disadvantages for this opinion. One of them is that focusing too much on this may result in the teachers not completing the course portion. Furthermore, this will eventually lead them into completing the course before a deadline, without explaining the concepts in detail. For example, whenever a course involves a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement, it will not only slow down the portion of main subjects but also result in the poor performance of students in academics.

In conclusion, although integrating the time spent studying abroad and placement work will have some benefits. It is crucial for us to understand that it also involves disadvantages. Hence, a university can include this in their course, once they have compared both the views. Therefore, I believe that the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages if managed properly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student attempts to address the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of including studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, fulfilling the basic requirements of a discussion essay. However, the development of ideas lacks depth and misses the core theme of the prompt in places. For instance, the discussion on advantages focuses narrowly on general 'job opportunities' and 'placement assistance' provided by a university rather than the actual academic or personal benefits of studying abroad or doing a work placement. Similarly, the disadvantages focus on teachers rushing through the syllabus, which misinterprets how work placements impact a curriculum. While a clear position is stated in the conclusion, the ideas remain somewhat superficial and under-developed, aligning with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as advantages in the second paragraph and disadvantages in the third. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, using transitions such as 'One major advantage', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. However, referencing and logical progression are occasionally faulty. For example, the phrase 'this opinion' in the third paragraph is somewhat vague as a cohesive link, and the connection between studying abroad/work placements and teachers rushing course portions is not logically sustained. Overall, the organizational structure is functional, warranting a Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'integrate', 'undergraduate courses', 'distinct', and 'academic'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is sometimes marred by word choice and collocation errors. For instance, writing 'duration spent studying abroad' is unnatural compared to 'time spent studying abroad', and 'alunmi' contains a spelling error. Furthermore, repeating phrases like 'period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement' shows lexical limitations. Nevertheless, the meaning remains clear throughout, making this a solid performance for Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures appropriately in sentences like 'While this has significant advantages, it also has a few drawbacks.' However, grammatical errors and awkward phrasing occur throughout the text. Examples include 'discuss both the views' (article error), 'leading them into completing' (inappropriate preposition use), and the sentence fragment in the conclusion: 'Although integrating the time spent studying abroad and placement work will have some benefits. It is crucial...' These errors occasionally disrupt the flow, but they rarely impede overall communication, placing the grammar securely in the Band 6 category.

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

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