Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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)

Universities should include the period of time spent studying abroad and doing work placement for undergraduate courses. This essay will explain both the advantages and disadvantages of including the time spent.

It is most important to include the time spent on studying abroad as this enables to understand the work experience, skills and knowledge. This will enable the employees to get the skills and experience they want from the person they are employing as it will enhance there employment process. Similarly, studying abroad could expose students to different cultures and ways of thinking, making them more independent and adaptable. Work placement will enable students to apply the experience they gain from studying into real life situations, and this will enable them work confidently since they have been exposed internationally.

Another benefit is employees gradueates who have relevant experience beyond the classroom. For graduate who has relevant skills apart from the classroom knowledge is highly considered to get a job easily compared to a student who just have classroom knowledge with no real world exposure. Study abroad and work placement enables graduates to adapt easily and be confident as they develop good communication and language skills.

However, There are disadvanteges, Oversees study is considered expensive especially for low income families, the school fee, the accomodation, the plane tickets and also maintaing the lifestyles this is only possible to families that are financially stable.

Nevertheless, This financial problem can be resolved through government offering free scholarship to students to study abroad inorder to gain experience internationally, also the university should partner with international universities to enable students placement into there international universities.

In conclusion, In conclusion, although compulsory overseas study or work placements could create financial and organisational challenges, the practical skills, independence and broader experience gained by students would make such a policy beneficial overall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad and work placements in undergraduate courses, and presents a clear overall position. The ideas are generally relevant, covering benefits such as skills enhancement, cultural exposure, and employability, alongside drawbacks like high costs. However, some arguments lack sufficient development and clarity; for instance, the phrasing regarding employees and graduates is somewhat confused in the third paragraph ("Another benefit is employees gradueates who have relevant experience"). While the position is maintained and the prompt is answered, the support for some points remains somewhat superficial rather than fully extended, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct points, such as the benefits in paragraphs two and three, and the disadvantages in paragraph four. However, cohesion is at times faulty and mechanical. There are repetitive transitions and awkward referencing, such as the double conjunction "In conclusion, In conclusion" at the very end of the text. Furthermore, pronoun referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as "there international universities" instead of "their international universities". Although logical progression is visible, these cohesive flaws limit the score to Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as "adaptable", "financial stability", and "organisational challenges". However, there are noticeable lexical errors, awkward word choices, and typos throughout the essay. Examples include "employees gradueates", "maintaing the lifestyles", "Oversees study", and spelling mistakes like "disadvanteges" and "inorder". These errors occasionally cause mild strain for the reader, though they do not completely impede communication. This performance aligns with the Band 6.0 descriptor for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional ideas. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. Run-on sentences and comma splices are present, such as in the fourth paragraph: "Oversees study is considered expensive especially for low income families, the school fee, the accomodation, the plane tickets and also maintaing the lifestyles this is only possible to families that are financially stable." Additionally, subject-verb agreement and article usage show persistent errors. These grammatical flaws prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.0 the most accurate assessment.

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