Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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)

John F. Kennedy, the former president of the US, has rightly said, "The philosophy of school in one generation will be the philosophy of a government in the next generation." It simply means that education is not remembering or cramming some facts and figures. Therefore, all unviersity undergraduate courses must include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

To begin with, there is a group of people who believe that undergraduate students should be allowed to complete one semester in abroad. They argue that this helps students broaden their vision.

Moreover, it helps students get out of their comfort zones. For example, in a new environment, students have to interact with people having different cultural backgrounds. This would help students learn new skills such as public speaking.

Furthermore, allowing students for studying abroad or doing a work placement is essential to euip them with new skills, which help them in the long run. For instance, studies show that students who do internships during their academic career perform much better than those students who focus more on theory.

Therefore, it is mandatory for undergraduate students in countries like the US and China, to complete one semester in aborad. For example, in the University of the Mississippi, undergraduate students are asked to go to China or Japan for learning languages such as Chinese or Japanese.

After observing benefits of studying aborad during academic career or a mandatory work placement, developing countries are also adopting similar policies. For example, from Pakistan, each year almost a batch of 200 undergradute students go to to the US under the cultural exchange programme. After returing to their home country, they not only perform well but also get involve in humanitarian work.

Hence, classrooms are more than four walls; thus, all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying aborad or doing a work placement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages, establishing a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the cultural exchange programme from Pakistan and the University of the Mississippi reference. However, there is a slight imbalance, as the response focuses predominantly on the advantages while only implicitly addressing the disadvantages through the benefits of exposure. The position is maintained throughout the text. Overall, the performance aligns well with the Band 7 requirements for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with an introduction, followed by supporting body paragraphs using cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, and referencing is generally clear. However, some cohesive devices feel slightly formulaic, and occasional minor issues with transition flow prevent it from reaching a higher band. Cohesion is managed well overall, matching the Band 7 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The candidate displays a sufficient range of vocabulary for flexibility and precision, incorporating terms like 'humanitarian work', 'cultural exchange programme', and 'undergraduate students'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style, though there are several recurring spelling errors ('unviersity', 'euip', 'aborad', 'returing', 'undergandute'). These spelling slips prevent the writing from achieving a higher band, but the vocabulary remains adequate and communication is never impeded. This sits comfortably at a Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 due to the frequency of spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating good control over several structures, such as conditional ideas and relative clauses. There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside a few grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'allowing students for studying abroad' and 'get involve in' instead of 'involved'. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the grammatical errors do not impede communication. The control of grammar aligns well with the criteria for Band 6.5, evaluated as a Band 6.0 given the minor slips.

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