Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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)

Some people believe that every graduate program should include a period of study abroad or workplace. In my opinion,the advantage is clearly outweight the disadvantages, although the idea needs to be implemented carefully.

The main benefit is that students gain practical classroom alone cannot give a work placement lets them apply theory to real situations and understand what employer actually expect. In India, for instance, law student are required to complete intership without courts or law firms, and many of them say, this was where they truly learnt how the profession work. Studying abroad has its own value, as it expose young people to new culture to teach style and builds confidence and Independence. This skills also improve their job prospects, since employers prefer graduates who can adapt quickly.

However, there are some genuine drawbacks. The biggest one is cost living abroad is expensive and student from low income families may not able to afford it, which could make a little unfair. Placement can also disturb the academic schedule and some students may end up doing routine tasks, such as filing papers instead of learning anything useful. In addition, begin far from family can cause stress and home sickness, specially for those who are living away from home for the first time.

Nevertheless, this problem can be solved. Universities can offer scholarships, arrange paid placements and give students a choice between working locally and going abroad. They can also make monitor placements to make sure that students are learning something meaningful

in conclusion, a period of study abroad or work experience makes graduate more skilled and confident and with proper financial support and planning the benefits are for greater than difficulties.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position throughout, suggesting that the advantages of study abroad and work placements outweigh the disadvantages. Relevant ideas are presented, such as gaining practical experience, improving job prospects, and considering financial costs and academic disruption. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the points regarding the benefits of Indian law internships are extended well, while the discussion on routine tasks during placements remains slightly underdeveloped. To move closer to higher bands, the writer would need to fully develop all supporting arguments with equal depth and elaboration, ensuring that every point is thoroughly explored.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, starting with benefits, moving to drawbacks, and offering solutions. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'The main benefit', 'However', and 'Nevertheless'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally a bit mechanical, and some transitions between sentences feel abrupt, such as the sudden shift into the Indian example without a smoother link. To achieve a higher level, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing remains consistently clear throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'practical classroom', 'work placement', and 'job prospects'. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. Examples include writing 'outweight' instead of 'outweigh', 'cost living' instead of 'cost of living', and 'intership' instead of 'internship'. Furthermore, phrasing like 'teach style' instead of 'teaching style' and 'begin far from family' instead of 'being far from family' shows that while communication is generally maintained, vocabulary control lacks precision. Expanding the range of precise collocations and eliminating spelling and word-formation slips will elevate the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional clauses and participial phrases, such as 'since employers prefer graduates who can adapt quickly.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('student from low income families may not able to afford it' instead of 'students from low-income families may not be able'), incorrect verb forms, and punctuation issues like comma splices ('In my opinion,the advantage is clearly outweight...'). These errors are typical of this band level: they are present and require some correction, but they rarely impede communication. To reach higher bands, the writer must increase the proportion of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over punctuation and subject-verb agreement.

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

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