Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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 often argued that all university undergraduate students should be required to spend some time studying abroad or doing a work placement. Although this may create some difficulties for students, I believe thata the advantages of this approach would outweigh the disadvantages.

One major advantage of studying abroad or completing a work placement is that students can gain practical knowledge, whereas a workplace allow students to understand how this knowledge is used in real situations. For example, a business student may learn about marketing stratagies in class, but during an internship,they can actually help a company promote its product and communicate with customers. This experience can make student more confident and better perpared for their future careers.

Another benefit of studying abroad is that students can develop imporatnt personal skills. Living in another country can help them become more independent, adaptable and open-minded. They may also learn about different cultures and improve their communication skills by interacting with people from different backgrounds.This skills can be extremely useful for todays international job market.

However, there are some disadvantages to this requirment. Studying abroad can be expensive because student may have to pay for travel, accomodation and other living expenses. In addition,some students may feel homesick or find it difficult to adjust in to a new culture. Similarly, not every student may be able to find suitable work placement releted to their field of study.Therefore, universities would need ro provide financial support and sufficient placement opportunities.

To pen down, although compulsory overseas study or work placements may cause financial and adjustment problems, the practical experience, independence and communication skills gained from these opportunities are highly valuable. Therefore, I believe that the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks, provided that universities offer suitable support to students.

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 requiring university undergraduate students to spend time studying abroad or doing a work placement. A clear position is presented in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. The advantages, such as practical knowledge and personal development, and disadvantages, such as financial cost and adjustment issues, are well-supported with relevant explanations and examples. For instance, the example of a business student learning marketing strategies and applying them during an internship effectively illustrates the practical benefits. The response is well-developed, meeting the requirements of Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the introduction to the advantages of work placements, personal skills gained from studying abroad, counter-arguments regarding disadvantages, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'One major advantage', 'Another benefit', 'However', and 'Similarly'. Paragraphing is used appropriately and sufficiently to structure the argument. The overall progression is easy to follow, making this a solid performance for Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate and sufficient range of vocabulary for the task. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation, such as 'practical knowledge', 'independent, adaptable and open-minded', and 'international job market'. However, there are a few noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'stratagies' instead of 'strategies', 'perpared' instead of 'prepared', 'imporatnt' instead of 'important', 'This skills' instead of 'These skills', and 'releted' instead of 'related'. Despite these slips, communication is never impeded, placing the response firmly at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over complex structures like conditional clauses and relative clauses (e.g., 'Studying abroad can be expensive because student may have to pay for...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside a few persistent typographical and grammatical errors, such as 'I believe thata', 'a workplace allow', 'student' instead of 'students', and 'adjust in to'. Punctuation is generally controlled, although minor spacing issues occur (e.g., missing spaces after commas and periods, such as 'internship,they' and 'backgrounds.This'). The grammar supports clear communication and reflects the characteristics of Band 6.5, rounding to a 6.5.

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