Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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 has been suggested that all undergraduate students should be required to spend a certain period of their degree either studying overseas or gaining practical work experience. Although this requirement could present some challenges, I believe that the benefits of such opportunities would outweigh the potential drawbacks.

One of the most extolling reason to include a dedicated period to encourage students ot study abroad or get field experience is that it gives students an opportunity to experince first-hand what international education system offers or to hone their skills through real-wrold experience. For most students, this could drive them think about their future as many students do not properly ponder over their future options. For instance, those who are considering pursuing higher education overseas can experience how the real drill would be, and oher aiming for a professional career would get to know how it would be working on real-world problems.

On the other hand, making this compulsory for getting a graduation degree would put unnecessary financial and psychological pressure on students. If universities are not willing to provide finances required to study abroad or getting in touch with professional bodies to let soon-to graduates to work and learn under their professional guidance, then this could most likely result in discrimination, where affulent students would be the only one able to spent time studying abroad and students with strong references and network would be getting work placement, because many organizations and companies tend to higer experienced individuals rather than giving chance to fresh graduates. Furthermore, learners lacking these resources would be under substantial pressure because they won't be able to complete requirements for issuance of their degree. However, if this dedicated time period is not a mandatory requirement for course completion, some students would not take it serious and result in wasting their precious time.

Neverthless, benefits of including aa period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement are far greater owing to the reasons it encourages students to either pursue further education complementing in the development of highly educated society, or work under professional body leading to the professional growth. Moreover, the negative sides of this suggestion can be mostly be mitigated with proper policies implementation from goverment, for example fully-funded scholarships, and universities could get professional bodies onboard and make a playing field for students aiming to pursue professional jobs.

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 making study abroad or work placements compulsory, and clearly states a personal position in the introduction ('I believe that the benefits... would outweigh the potential drawbacks'). The ideas are generally well developed and supported with relevant reasoning, such as the discussion on financial barriers and potential discrimination. However, there are some minor sweeping generalisations and slightly underdeveloped transitions in the body paragraphs. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 7, as it addresses all parts of the task with a clear position throughout and extends ideas logically.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Progression is visible throughout the response, guiding the reader from the benefits to the counterarguments and final verdict. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'On the other hand', 'Furthermore', and 'Neverthless' (though suffering from a typo). Paragraphing is appropriate, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct theme (advantages vs. drawbacks). However, referencing is occasionally slightly convoluted, and some cohesive markers feel a bit mechanical. This aligns well with the Band 6.5 to 7 range, settling comfortably at 6.5 due to occasional clunky transitions and referencing issues.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for some flexibility and precision, attempting less common items such as 'extolling reason', 'affluent students', and 'mitigated'. However, there are several lexical errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'extolling reason' instead of 'compelling reason', 'experince' (spelling), 'wrold' (spelling), 'higer' instead of 'hire', and 'playing field' instead of 'level playing field'. While the vocabulary is adequate to convey the meaning clearly, these recurring inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Therefore, a score of 6.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional forms and relative clauses ('If universities are not willing to provide finances...', 'those who are considering pursuing...'). There are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'reasons it encourages', 'completing requirements for issuance of their degree', and spelling slips like 'Neverthless'. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they persist throughout the text and demonstrate inconsistent control over complex structures. This performance fits the Band 6 descriptor, where a mix of simple and complex forms is used alongside noticeable errors.

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

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