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)

The proposal to mandate international study or work placement for all undergraduates is increasingly advocated as means to enhance graduate employability and global awareness. while such requirments entail significant logistical and financial challenges.

i believe long term educational and professional benefits substantially outweigh these drawbacks, provided institutions implement equitable support mechanisms.

Admittedly, compulsory mobility programmes present notable disadvantages. Financially, they risk exacerbating inequality, students from low income backgrounds may struggle with travel, accommodation or lost part time income, potentially forcing them into debt or discouraging enrolment altogether.

Academically integrating external placements into rigid curricula can disrupt course coherence, particularly in specialized field like medicine or engineering where learning is critical. additionally admistrative burdens on universities such as securing quality host organization and ensuring academic credit transfer can strain recourse and compromise programme standards scaled universally without adequate funding.

Nevertheless, the advantages are profound and multifaceted. professionally immersive experiences cultivate adaptability cross culture communication and problem solving skills that classroom learning rarely replicated. Employers consistantly value graduates with real world exposure as evidenced by higher employment rates and starting salaries among mobile students. Educationally studying and working abroad fasters intellectual independence and exposes learners to devers pedagiogical or industry practices, enriching their disciplinary understanding. On a societal level widespread mobility promotes intercultural empathy and global citizenship qualities essential in an interconnected world facing transnational challenges like climate and public health crises. crucially these benefits align with the core mission of higher education. To develop well rounded individual capable of contributing beyond national borders.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring both the disadvantages and advantages of mandatory study abroad or work placements for undergraduates. A clear position is stated in the introduction: the long-term benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The ideas are extended and supported with relevant arguments regarding financial inequality, administrative burdens, employability, and global citizenship. Although some points could be elaborated further, the task is successfully and comprehensively addressed throughout the essay, demonstrating a strong understanding of the requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are grouped effectively into paragraphs, moving from an introduction to disadvantages, advantages, and a concluding thought. Cohesive devices such as 'Admittedly', 'additionally', 'Nevertheless', and 'crucially' are used to connect ideas, though occasional punctuation slips slightly affect mechanical flow. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader smoothly through the writer's line of argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a sufficient and generally flexible range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, employing less common items such as 'exacerbating inequality', 'logistical and financial challenges', and 'intercultural empathy'. While there are a few lexical and spelling inaccuracies—such as 'requirments', 'admistrative', 'recourse' instead of resources, 'fasters', 'devers pedagiogical', and 'individual' instead of individuals—these do not impede communication. The writer shows an awareness of style and collocation appropriate for a Band 6.5 to 7 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response makes use of a variety of complex structures, including conditional clauses ('provided institutions implement...') and participial phrases. There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside some punctuation and capitalization errors—such as lowercase sentence beginnings ('i believe', 'while such', 'admittedly') and minor agreement slips. However, these errors are non-systematic and do not obscure meaning. The grammar is well-controlled overall, supporting clear communication of complex academic ideas.

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