Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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 advantages of incorporating study abroad periods or internships into undergraduate degree programs significantly outweigh the minor drawbacks.

Key Advantages:

Enhanced Career Readiness: Work placements bridge the gap between academic theory and practical application. Students acquire hands-on experience, essential technical skills, and professional networking opportunities that drastically increase their employability upon graduation.

Cultural Competence and Independence: Studying abroad exposes students to diverse perspectives, global cultures, and new languages. Living in a different country fosters resilience, self-reliance, and adaptability—qualities highly valued in an increasingly interconnected global economy.

Broader Skill Development: Both experiences build soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and cross-cultural collaboration that traditional classroom settings cannot fully replicate.

Potential Disadvantages:

Financial Burden: Studying in a foreign country or accepting unpaid placements can impose significant financial stress on students from low-income backgrounds.

Academic Delays or Disruptions: Mandatory periods away from campus can extend degree timelines or create difficulty in transferring credit units.

Relocation Stress: Adjusting to unfamiliar work environments or navigating culture shock abroad can cause severe anxiety for some undergraduates.

Conclusion:

While the logistical and financial hurdles are valid concerns, universities can mitigate these through targeted scholarships, flexible credit systems, and strong mental health support services. Ultimately, the long-term professional, personal, and educational benefits gained from practical international or workplace exposure make this initiative invaluable for modernundergraduate education.

As a conclusion, the advantages of having a work placement or getting an opportunity abroad will be more effective as it will groom the students and they will be able to be more successful in their careers by getting some international exposure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting arguments for both the advantages and disadvantages of including study abroad or work placements in undergraduate courses, ultimately taking a clear position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Ideas are relevant and supported with clear points regarding career readiness, cultural competence, and financial burdens. However, some ideas are presented in a bulleted, note-form style rather than being fully integrated into cohesive prose, which leads to under-development in places—such as the brief mention of relocation stress. To reach a higher band, all main points need to be fully extended and explained in standard paragraph form rather than relying on structural headings and lists.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a generally coherent overall arrangement, with a clear introduction, outlined points, and a conclusion. However, the use of structural headings ('Key Advantages:', 'Potential Disadvantages:', 'Conclusion:') acts as a mechanical device rather than natural paragraphing and transitional phrasing. Furthermore, the inclusion of two separate concluding paragraphs ('As a conclusion, the advantages...') creates a repetitive and somewhat disjointed flow at the end of the text. To move up, you should rely entirely on standard cohesive devices and paragraph transitions rather than functional labels to guide the reader through your arguments.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate and demonstrates a sufficient range for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision with terms such as 'cultural competence', 'interconnected global economy', and 'logistical and financial hurdles'. The student also attempts less common vocabulary with moderate success. However, there are a few minor lexical issues, such as the redundant phrasing 'As a conclusion' rather than 'In conclusion', and a typo ('modernundergraduate'). To achieve an even higher score, ensure a completely natural use of vocabulary without minor slips in collocation or word-spacing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and participial phrases effectively (e.g., 'Living in a different country fosters resilience...' and 'While the logistical and financial hurdles are valid concerns...'). There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they do not impede communication. For instance, the sentence 'As a conclusion, the advantages of having a work placement or getting an opportunity abroad will be more effective as it will groom the students...' contains awkward phrasing and tense usage ('will be more effective'). To improve, aim for greater consistency in complex sentence control and ensure all punctuation marks and modifiers are accurate.

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

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