Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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)

Higher education systems should include semester exchange and work placement. I believe the advantages of such activities outweigh the disadvantages.

The disadvantages often relate to the administrative process and university policies. Often, a semester abroad is considered an extracurricular activity and not a part of the academic journey. Therefore, if you choose it, you lag behind your batchmates. Additionally, students who study abroad for one semester have to repeat that semester at their home university, which can make them ineligible for university awards. When work placements is ddisccussed, universities aren't able to help every student get job, thereofre they only recommed high achieveing students, which somehow creates biasness and favouritism. Moreover, it is very difficult to complete working hours along with heavy timetables of university studies.

Nevertheless, I am of the view that studying abroad and doing a work placement has more positives on its side. When you spend a semester abroad, you meet people from different countries, adjust to a new academic setting, learn about the country's festivals and traditions, and finally represent their country on an international stage. For instance, through the Global UGRAD exchange program, I was selected to study at a college in the US for a semester. I made meaningful bonds, explored diverse courses, completed community service hours, and proudly represented Pakistan. It helped me grow, come out of my comfort zone, tackle problems and explore a version of myself I never knew existed. Whereas, the work placement helps you connect with companies and increases your network. Therefore, by the time you graduate and enter the market, you already have experience that companies are searching for. The resume that has both semester abroad and work experience mentioned helps you stand out from the crowd for both further educational and job opportunities.

Hence, universities should not treat semester exchange and work placement as something extracurricular but as something that impacts positively on an individual's life and career. Students should be encouraged to be part of such periods without worrying about the length of the administrative process or feeling like they are lagging behind. Both experiences can become memorable experiences for students.

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 studying abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, and presents a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, particularly a personal anecdote about the Global UGRAD exchange program. However, some arguments in the second paragraph, such as the claim that students have to repeat semesters and become ineligible for university awards, tend to over-generalize and are not entirely universally applicable. Nonetheless, the core requirements of the task response are thoroughly met, aligning well with a Band 7 performance where a clear position is maintained and main ideas are supported throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and overall progression throughout the text. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, disadvantages, advantages, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are generally used effectively to transition between ideas, such as 'Nevertheless,' and 'Therefore,'. However, there are minor cohesion and referencing issues, such as switching from plural to singular pronouns ('when work placements is ddisccussed, universities aren't able to help every student get job, thereofre they only recommed high achieveing students...'). Additionally, typographical errors like 'thereofre' and 'high achieveing' slightly disrupt the flow. Overall, the logical structure is clear and cohesive devices are employed with sufficient flexibility, placing this response solidly in the Band 7 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, incorporating less common items such as 'administrative process', 'extracurricular activity', 'ineligible', and 'stand out from the crowd'. There is an awareness of style, but occasional word choice and spelling errors occur, such as 'batchmates', 'ddisccussed', 'thereofre', 'high achieveing', and 'biasness' (which is non-standard; 'bias' is preferred). These errors do not impede communication, and the writer successfully conveys nuanced personal and academic experiences. The lexical range is adequate and demonstrates intermittent success with less common vocabulary, fitting the Band 6.0 to 6.5 profile, leaning comfortably toward a 6.5 due to the strong personal examples and descriptive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures appropriately (e.g., 'Therefore, if you choose it, you lag behind your batchmates.' and 'When you spend a semester abroad, you meet people...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors and typos throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('When work placements is ddisccussed') and missing articles ('get job', 'the resume that has both semester abroad'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede communication. The control over grammar is generally decent, containing frequent error-free clauses mixed with occasional slips, which aligns well with the descriptors for Band 6.

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