Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The topic is about whether all university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement. Yes, I believe that the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages.

Firstly, all university undergraduate programs should include a period of time to spend studying abroad or doing work that helps them to resolve their issues by themselves and make themselves fully independent. One major advantage is students can develop useful skills and work with professionals to gain more knowledge and confidence. Also, students learn a new language and culture to communicate effectively with others. For instance, a business student who works in a company can learn how to communicate with customers and colleagues.

Furthermore, living abroad, students can experience new lifestyles and traditions. Also, they get better opportunities for living with family and secure better options for the future. Similarly, a work placement abroad allows students to work in a practical way to experience real-world situations rather than learning theories. For example, a psychology student who works several months in a clinic may gain practical experience with equipment.

In addition, it sometimes creates many disadvantages, like some students cannot afford such an expensive trip abroad; their parents cannot pay fees and other accommodation and living expenses. However, some students cannot leave their home and family responsibilities. For example, a single-parent student cannot leave their mom because of attachment issues and homesickness and anxiety; as a result, they lose their golden opportunities.

In conclusion, there are many advantages of this that would outweigh the disadvantages because students can gain valuable experience, become more independent, and improve their communication skills. Although studying abroad or doing a work placement can be expensive and may cause homesickness.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt directly and takes a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. All parts of the task are covered, presenting both benefits, such as independence, professional development, and cultural exposure, as well as drawbacks like financial constraints and homesickness. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or supported with weak examples. For instance, the example of a psychology student gaining practical experience with equipment in a clinic is slightly confused, and the point about living with family is somewhat contradictory when discussing studying abroad. Nevertheless, the main arguments are clear and the overall position is sustained throughout the essay, fitting well within the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs discussing advantages and disadvantages, concluding with a summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion' are employed to structure the text, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, but occasional clunky phrasing affects the flow between sentences. Overall, the organizational structure meets the requirements for a Band 6, showing adequate progression even if some cohesive ties are overly formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'independent', 'professional', 'practical experience', and 'financial constraints'. There are conscious attempts to use less common vocabulary like 'golden opportunities' and 'homesickness'. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'golden opportunities' in a context where it feels slightly unnatural, and minor awkwardness in phrases like 'attachment issues'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts complex structures using relative clauses and conditional-style reasoning, such as 'a business student who works in a company can learn how...'. There are some grammatical errors and awkward structures present, such as 'living abroad, students can experience...' and missing prepositions or incorrect verb forms in places, but these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. Punctuation is generally functional. This balance of mixed structures and occasional control errors corresponds to a Band 6 level.

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