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)

It is increasingly argued that all university degree prodrams should mandate a period of international study or practical work placement. Although this requirement presents financial and organozational challenges for some students, i believe the long-term career benefits and personal growth far outweigh the drawbacks.

On the one hand, making study abroad or internships compulsory can create significant hurdles. Financial strain is the primary concern, as living in abroad make a student to pay the course fee, accomodation rent, and travelling charges. Many internships are unpaid or low-paying, creating equity issues for the lower-income students.Furthermore, inclusivity issues, students with family duties, disabilities, or a part-time job may struggle to relocate or commit extra hours to placements. As the students may face academic delays if course credits do not transfer smoothly from overseas institutions. Mental stress and culture shock is also a notable challenge moving to a new country or fast-paced work environment can lead to isolation, stress, and anxiety for unprepared students.

On the other hand, the practical advantages of these experience are substantial. It enhanced the employability and practical skills, bridges the gap between the classroom theory and real-world applications. Moreover, provide hands-on industry experience, making graduate stand out to prospective employers. It also develope the concept of personal growth and independence, studying abroad or working in corporate environment fosters self-reliance, adaptability, problem solving, and confidence. It encourage students towards the cultural awareness and networking, living overseas expand global perpectives and cross-cultural communication skills. Internship allow students to build professional connection and mentorships before graduation.

In conlusion, while compulsory placement or overseas study may impose financial and logistical difficulties on some students, the benefits are far more major. The professional experience and personal development gained through these opportunities provide graduate with a important advantage in their future careers, making it worthwhile integration into universities where students are eligible to this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of making study abroad or work placements compulsory, presenting a clear position throughout. The arguments are generally relevant, fulfilling the criteria for a solid score. However, some ideas show the characteristics of the mid-band level because they are slightly under-developed or rely on generalisations. For example, while the disadvantages mention financial strain and inclusivity issues, the points regarding academic delays and mental stress are introduced rapidly without deeper elaboration. Similarly, the advantages cover employability, personal growth, and cultural awareness, but these could be extended with more specific supporting examples to reach the higher band. The overall position is easily understood, and the arguments flow logically toward a clear conclusion, satisfying the main demands of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression throughout. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, the opposing viewpoints, and the conclusion, which helps guide the reader through the discussion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are employed to structure the response, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in their patterning. Referencing is generally clear, although occasional lapses in logical flow occur within the body paragraphs—such as abrupt shifts between financial hurdles and inclusivity concerns. To progress further, the writer needs to ensure that cohesive devices connect ideas more smoothly and implicitly, rather than relying on standard transitional formulas at the start of every sentence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the main ideas and demonstrating attempts at less common lexical items such as 'employability', 'cross-cultural communication', and 'mentor-ships'. However, the response contains several lexical errors in word choice, word form, and spelling that prevent it from achieving a higher score. Examples include typographical and spelling slips like 'prodrams', 'organozational', and 'conlusion', as well as awkward collocations and word forms such as 'living in abroad make a student to pay', 'lower-income students' (without article issues, though here framed as a plural noun misuse), 'It enhanced', and 'make graduate stand out'. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the message clearly, and meaning is rarely obscured by the lexical slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting various subordinate clauses and compound structures. There are some error-free sentences, but grammatical inaccuracies are present throughout the text. These include errors in subject-verb agreement ('the students may face', 'Internship allow'), missing or incorrect articles ('making graduate stand out', 'an important advantage'), and prepositions within grammatical patterns ('where students are eligible to this'). Punctuation and sentence boundary errors also occur, such as comma splices ('Furthermore, inclusivity issues, students with family duties...'). While these errors do not seriously impede communication, their frequency means the grammar control does not yet achieve the higher level where error-free sentences dominate.

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