Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In recent years, there has been a growing debate about whether all universities should have exchange programs or practicum period for students in bachelor's degree. In my opinion, the advantages of this are far beyond the disadvantages in real-life-working skills and career prospects for students in the future.

Firstly, having an internship before graduating allows students to experience the real working environment which is crucially important for them to learn. In addition, it is essential for students to learn to coordinate with people with different age ranges who are more professional. Moreover, they will get the opportunities to work under high pressure which will help them understand more about working in real life. For instance, having an internship as an interpreter which requires to communicate with foreigners would make a student get a chance to hear real accents from native speakers.

Plus, having experience in studying abroad or an internship can make students' profiles become more interesting in securing employment in the future. Students with this experience tend to be considered as strong candidates that human resources would ask for interviews. Furthermore, for those who have international profiles, leading companies might pay attention to their resumes rather than to those who lack of interesting profiles. For example, a student with an exchange profile or an internship in an international company might have more possibility to get hired faster than a student without any work experience.

In conclusion, the advantages of universities having courses including studying abroad or having an internship for undergraduates significantly outweigh the disadvantages. Having these courses allow students to gain experince in real life working environment and to build their profiles for job opportunities in the future.

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 or work placements in undergraduate degrees, presenting a clear position throughout. The main ideas are relevant, such as gaining practical experience and enhancing future employability. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the discussion on working under high pressure and interacting with native speakers in the second paragraph remains somewhat general and is not fully extended with deeper analysis. To reach the next level, the writer needs to expand on all main points with more thorough explanations and fully supported examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. The writer uses basic cohesive devices to connect ideas, such as 'Firstly', 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion'. However, the progression of ideas can sometimes feel a bit mechanical due to the repetitive reliance on sequential linking words rather than smoother logical transitions. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different supporting points. To improve further, the writer should integrate more sophisticated and varied cohesive devices to ensure the flow between sentences and paragraphs is completely natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the main arguments with terms like 'exchange programs', 'practicum period', and 'career prospects'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'human resources' and 'international profiles', but there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'practicum period for students in bachelor's degree' instead of 'a bachelor's degree'. Spelling and word-choice errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a slightly limited precision. To achieve a higher band, the writer must incorporate a wider range of sophisticated, less common lexical items with precise control over collocation and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses ('which is crucially important') and conditional elements. There are some noticeable errors in grammar, such as missing articles ('an internship as an interpreter which requires to communicate' instead of 'which requires communication') and prepositions ('lack of interesting profiles'). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. To move up to the next band, the writer needs to produce a greater variety of complex structures with higher accuracy, ensuring that the majority of complex sentences remain completely error-free.

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

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