Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23

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)

The idea that all university students should experience either studying abroad or completing a work placement is increasingly debated. While this requirement may create communication and health problems, I believe the advantages significantly outweigh the disadvantages, as such experiences offer students exposure to new ideas and research, along with increased earning potential globally.

To begin with, students who study abroad discover new teaching methods, theories, and scientific advancements that are not available in their home country's university. This international exposure fundamentally broadens their perspective on their subject and enhances competitiveness and creativity. As a result, students gain the ability to apply these newly discovered theories and research findings in practical, ultimately making them more innovative and forward-thinking professionals. For example, a student studying mechanical engineering in India who goes to Germany will encounter different theories of mechanics and innovative problem-solving methods. German universities may use more practical, hands-on approaches applied to various vehicle technologies. This exposure broadens how students think about their discipline and challenges conventional methods. Working abroad substantially increases students' earning potential, as foreign companies typically offer more competitive salaries. This higher salary creates financial stability which helps them to reduce their overall debt burden and allowing them to graduate with fewer financial obligations.

On the other hand, language barriers is one of the drawback. A significant gap often emerges between international students and non-native people. Since English or any other language like german, french is not everyone's first language, students may find difficult to communicate effectively due to different accents, dialects, and unfamiliar expressions. This language barrier leads to misunderstandings and social isolation. Health issues present another significant disadvantage. Students often struggle to adapt to different climatic conditions abroad, which can trigger illness. Additionally, expensive and limited healthcare facilities make it difficult for students to afford medical treatment, adding financial strain to their already tight budgets.

In conclusion, although language barriers and expensive healthcare present certain challenges, the advantages of international exposure and higher earning potential significantly outweigh these disadvantages. Students gain invaluable experience and financial benefits that enhance their careers globally.

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 including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and clearly states a position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as a mechanical engineering student traveling from India to Germany. The main body paragraphs explore valid points regarding international exposure, higher earning potential, language barriers, and health issues. While the analysis is generally well-developed, some points could be explored with even greater depth to reach a higher band. Overall, the task response is clear, well-supported, and directly addresses the prompt requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, starting with an introduction that outlines the student's stance, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to advantages and disadvantages respectively, and concluding with a summary. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'To begin with,' 'As a result,' and 'On the other hand.' Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, referencing and cohesive links are occasionally a bit mechanical or simplistic, which prevents the essay from achieving a higher band descriptor. Overall, the flow of ideas is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary that allows for some flexibility and precision, such as 'increasingly debated,' 'financial stability,' 'social isolation,' and 'innovative problem-solving methods.' There are attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'fundamentally broadens' and 'conventional methods.' However, there are some minor word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'language barriers is one of the drawback' (grammatical slip combined with pluralisation error) and 'may find difficult to communicate' (missing reflexive pronoun or adverb). Despite these occasional slips, the lexical resource is adequate to convey the intended meaning clearly without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures effectively. There are several frequent error-free sentences, such as 'While this requirement may create communication and health problems, I believe the advantages significantly outweigh the disadvantages.' However, a number of grammatical and mechanical errors persist, including subject-verb agreement issues ('language barriers is one of the drawback'), missing words ('may find difficult'), and capitalization errors ('german, french'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 7.

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