Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-01

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 7.0)

Numerous individuals believe that all university courses should contain a period of time spent studying abroad or undertaking work experience. Although this policy has some drawbacks, I believe it offers significant educational benefits through work experience that clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

One major advantage of this policy is that it helps students combine academic knowledge with practical, real-world experience. Studying abroad and working in a different environment also promote personal growth. Living independently encourages students to become more responsible. In addition, this process also develops communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, making graduates more confident and employable. Such qualities are increasingly important as many companies now operate internationally. For instance, microbiology students often do internships in laboratories to become familiar with laboratory work; moreover, they gain knowledge about bacteria and research work. Consequently, universities are able to prepare students more effectively for future careers.

On the other hand, this policy may place financial and administrative pressure on universities. Additionally, several undergraduate students may struggle due to low income and the high cost of studying abroad. By way of illustration, smaller institutions may not have enough overseas partnerships or internship opportunities for every student. Furthermore, it can be difficult for students to support themselves independently while abroad, particularly since many internships do not offer paid positions. Compared with the lasting educational benefits, however, these disadvantages are relatively limited.

In conclusion, although requiring undergraduates to study abroad or undertake work placements involves certain practical difficulties, the long-term advantages for students' academic, personal, and professional development are far more significant.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your essay addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of making study abroad or work placements mandatory, and you maintain a clear position throughout that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Your main ideas are extended and supported well, such as when you explain how living independently encourages responsibility and improves communication skills. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise or under-develop certain points, such as the specific example regarding microbiology students, which could have been tied more tightly to the core arguments of international employability or practical skill acquisition. To reach the next level, you would need to sustain a fully developed line of argument with deeper, more nuanced explanations and examples across all body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

Your response demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. You make effective use of paragraphing, ensuring each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from introduction to advantages, then disadvantages, and finally a concise conclusion. You also employ cohesive devices flexibly and appropriately to guide the reader, using phrases like 'One major advantage', 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'By way of illustration'. Referencing is generally clear and straightforward. To achieve an even higher band, you could work on making your cohesion even more seamless and unobtrusive, perhaps avoiding slightly formulaic transition markers in favour of subtler logical links between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for some flexibility and precision, successfully using less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation, such as 'undertaking work experience', 'administrative pressure', and 'international employability'. Your choice of words is generally adequate for the task, and any spelling or word-choice errors do not impede communication. To push into higher band territory, you would need to incorporate a wider variety of sophisticated, less common idiomatic or academic vocabulary with more precise control over collocations and register throughout the entirety of the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5

Your response displays a good variety of complex structures alongside simple sentence forms, and you produce frequent error-free sentences. You show good control of grammar and punctuation, successfully handling complex noun phrases, subordinate clauses, and relative clauses, such as in 'making graduates more confident and employable' and 'although requiring undergraduates to study abroad or undertake work placements involves certain practical difficulties'. While a few minor errors may persist, they do not interfere with understanding. To reach the highest brackets, you would need to demonstrate an even wider range of structures with full flexibility, maintaining an almost entirely error-free output.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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