Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19

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)

Nowadays many people argue that all university courses should incorporate a period of time spent studying in foreign country or doing a work placement. In my opinion the benefits of this practice would definitely outweigh its drawbacks because it offers an opportunity to learn something new such as culture, language, traditions and also develope professional skills for better future.

In this contemporary age, if is imperative to go abroad for further studies because it provides an offer to accept various culture, traditions, language and opinions from different people. It would also help us to broaden our knowledge, which is crucial in this age. Moving abroad can drastically change our view on life; we will cultivate a mindset that allows us to share our opinions, relationships, emotions from different country. If university courses include this kind of practice then it will benefit students tremendously. For instance, after highschool many students are moving abroad for further study in order learn something unique and meaningful apart from their own country.

Another thing to consider is that it allows us to foster a new skill of our interest. In the courses of university adding a work placement for a short amount time really helps students to built required skills for a job in the future. If this happened then they do not have to work for others or get worried about employment. They could simply run their own business or start working in a particular field they are interested in. In this modern age having a skill or experience is vital to make an average living. For example, many individuals are unemployed because lack of skill, knowledge and Skills, so it would be much better to implement a work placement in university courses.

In conclusion, the advantages of this clearly outweighs its disadvantages because it gives a person an offer to learn different culture, language, customs, traditions and knowledge in different fields.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether university courses should incorporate studying abroad or work placements, concluding that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas leans towards repetition and broad generalisations rather than deep elaboration. For instance, the discussion on cultural immersion in the second paragraph largely reiterates similar points regarding traditions and language without introducing distinct supporting evidence. Similarly, the work placement argument touches upon acquiring skills but lacks a specific, well-developed example to substantiate the claim. While all parts of the task are addressed, the ideas would benefit from greater specificity and extension to reach a higher band level. Consequently, this performance aligns closely with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on distinct themes, and a brief conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases such as 'Another thing to consider is that' are somewhat conversational, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun 'This' in 'If this happened then they do not have to work for others'. Cohesive devices are sometimes repetitive, and logical progression between sentences within paragraphs lacks seamless integration. These characteristics reflect the standard of a Band 6 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating central ideas about education and employment. There are attempts to use less common items, such as 'contemporary age', 'imperative', and 'incorporate'. However, noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form occur throughout the text. Examples include 'develope professional skills' (spelling error and awkward collocation), 'if is imperative' (typographical error for 'it is'), and 'accept various culture' (grammatical mismatch and collocation error). Furthermore, terms like 'skills, knowledge and Skills' reveal redundancy. While communication is not impeded, these lexical errors and limitations prevent the response from achieving a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures such as 'If university courses include this kind of practice then it will benefit students tremendously.' However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are several noticeable grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('many individuals are unemployed because lack of skill'), missing articles ('in foreign country'), and tense inconsistencies ('If this happened then they do not have to work'). Punctuation is also occasionally neglected, such as missing commas after introductory prepositional phrases. Because errors occur frequently alongside complex structures without completely obscuring meaning, a score of 5.5 is appropriate.

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