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)

In recent years, there has been growing concern about whether universities undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying or doing a professional internship. From my perspective, the advantages of including a work placement outweigh the disadvantages. Although overseas education provides fewer advantages, such as better job opportunities and developing a global perspective, I believe it also has disadvantages, such as financial issues and homesickness.

On the one hand, pursuing study in a foreign environment contributes to better job opportunities and developing a global perspective. Overseas education provides a wide range of job opportunities in terms of work placement. This is because some universities are affiliated with companies and industries, which provide practical experience. For instance, some international universities provide vocational training for students, which provides practical experience under professional supervision. Moreover, overseas education also develops a global perspective about culture heritage and language. This is because international education gives opportunity to develop broaden perspective about culture and language.

On the other hand, international academic exchange also contributes to several disadvantages, such as financial issues and away from home. Many undergraduate students face financial issues due to lack of finance management. As a result, they face anxiety and depression, which also affects physical health. Furthermore, pursuing overseas education also keeps learners stay away from home, and they feel homesickness.

In conclusion, overseas education provides advantages and disadvantages at the same time, but I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. International education provides better job opportunities, broadens perspectives about culture and language which contributes to successful life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of studying abroad or undertaking a work placement, ultimately taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. However, there is a notable confusion in the student's introduction and main body paragraphs regarding the prompt's scope. The prompt asks about 'studying abroad or doing a work placement', but the student's thesis and subsequent arguments conflate overseas education with work placements ('whether universities undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying or doing a professional internship'). Furthermore, the discussion tends to over-generalise and some ideas are repetitive, particularly the points regarding job opportunities and practical experience. While the position is clear throughout, the main ideas are only moderately extended and supported, which aligns well with a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as advantages in the second paragraph and disadvantages in the third paragraph. Cohesive devices are employed to signal transitions, using standard linking phrases like 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or faulty. For instance, the transition 'Although overseas education provides fewer advantages...' creates confusion because the student proceeds to argue that these are actually the primary advantages. Additionally, referencing within sentences can be repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'This is because'. Logical progression is maintained overall, but the mechanical nature of the cohesive devices places this response securely at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'professional internship', 'vocational training', and 'cultural heritage'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the text. Examples include 'universities undergraduate courses' (missing possessive), 'developing a global perspective about culture heritage', 'give opportunity to develop broaden perspective', and 'keeps learners stay away from home, and they feel homesickness'. There are also minor spelling and word-form issues, such as 'finance management' instead of 'financial management'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 6.0 due to a lack of precision and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinating clauses ('Although overseas education provides...', 'This is because some universities are...'). However, control over grammar and sentence structures is inconsistent. There are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions, such as 'whether universities undergraduate courses should include', 'gives opportunity to develop broaden perspective', and 'keeps learners stay away from home, and they feel homesickness'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical inaccuracies occur frequently enough to cause occasional hesitation for the reader, although they rarely obscure the core meaning. This profile corresponds to a Band 6.0, where a mix of structures is present alongside persistent errors.

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