Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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)

There has been an extensive debate over the past couple of years about whether university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. While vocational preperation is undoubtedly an important part of higher education, its important to realize that the main purpose of a university degree is to prepare the students to make a smooth transition into a professional enviorment, which may achieved through experential learning and global mobility.

On the one hand, there are strong arguments for making employability a central component of university education. Most students invest considerable amounts of time and money in obtaining a degree, and many expect it to improve their career prospects. Courses that incorporate practical training, internships and industry-related projects can therefore help graduates make a smoother transition into employment. Furthermore, employers increasingly seek candidates who can apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems rather than simply reproduce information learned in lectures. For example, an engineering student who has experience designing and testing an actual system may be better prepared for professional work than someone whose education has been entirely theoretical.

On the other hand, some people argue that these extra courses and work placemnts may distract the students, especially those already lagging behind others in intellect, and they may not be able to cope up with the academic stress, leading to poor performance in the theoretical domain.

In conclusion, although theoretical knowledge is essential for a specialization, the higher education should not be limited to cocational training. A combination of practical experience along with theory is likely to benefit both graduates and society as a whole.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses. The writer takes a clear position in the introduction and reiterates it in the conclusion, arguing that the benefits of practical experience outweigh potential drawbacks. Ideas are generally well-supported, particularly in the second paragraph regarding employability and real-world problem solving. However, the counter-argument regarding academic stress in the third paragraph is somewhat brief and could have been further extended. Overall, the task is addressed competently, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, starting with an introduction, moving to the advantages, addressing the counter-arguments, and ending with a logical conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used appropriately to signal the transition between ideas. Paragraphing is handled sufficiently. While referencing is generally clear, occasional mechanical linking prevents the text from achieving a higher band. Cohesion is functional and effective, earning a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision, using phrases like 'vocational preparation', 'global mobility', and 'theoretical domain'. There are, however, a few spelling and word-choice errors that detract from the overall quality, such as 'preperation' instead of preparation, 'enviorment' instead of environment, 'experential' instead of experiential, 'placemnts' instead of placements, and 'cocational' instead of vocational. Despite these minor lapses, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows the meaning to come across clearly, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating the ability to construct multi-clause sentences such as 'While vocational preperation is undoubtedly an important part of higher education, its important to realize that...'. There are some grammatical errors, including punctuation and agreement issues like missing apostrophes ('its' instead of 'it's'), incorrect prepositions ('may achieved' instead of 'may be achieved'), and awkward phrasing ('may not be able to cope up with'). However, these errors rarely impede communication and the complex structures show a reasonable level of control, warranting a Band 6.5.

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