Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Student exchange programmes have recently become increasingly popular. Many universities also require students to complete internships as a prerequisite to graduate. Although there are some disadvantages of these requirements, I believe that the benefits of these requirements outweigh the drawbacks.

There are numerous benefits of studying abroad, even for a small amount of time. It helps broaden student's horizon by providing them exposure to different cultures. For instance, there's difference in how students learn in Japan vs China. When students travel abroad or do work placements, they have to be on their own for a while. This helps students navigate difficult life circumstances and sometimes include managing their expenditures in a tight budget. Which subsequently produces better problem solving abilities. Lastly, students who have some work experience, especially from abroad, are more likely to get better career opportunities that those without it.

On the other hand, one major disadvantage of students spending time abroad or doing work placements is that they could struggle with distractions. Students might get too interested in exploring new cultures and making friends that they fail to complete their coursework on time. Another significant challenge is language barrier that may hinder students ability to participate with professors, and peers in teamwork tasks. For example, many international students in the Europe do language courses for better social interactions.

In conclusion, while language barrier and distraction is the drawback of spending time studying abroad, its benefits in terms of future career prospects, better decision making, and cultural engagement are more significant. So I believe that the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task, presenting a clear position throughout that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are extended and supported well, such as explaining how living independently during study abroad helps students manage tight budgets and develop better problem-solving abilities. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise in parts, such as the claim regarding international students in Europe taking language courses, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. The main arguments regarding career opportunities, cultural exposure, and potential distractions are relevant and well-developed, ensuring a thorough coverage of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The text demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the introduction to the benefits, the drawbacks, and finally a well-summarised conclusion. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, with transition markers such as 'Although', 'For instance', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' guiding the reader through the argument. While the progression is logical and easy to follow, the use of referencing and cohesive ties could be slightly more varied and flexible to achieve the highest standards of cohesion, yet the overall structure remains coherent and transparent.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'prerequisite', 'expenditures', and 'prospects' with moderate success. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'student's horizon' instead of 'students' horizons' and 'hinder students ability' missing an apostrophe. Spelling and word choice errors are present but they do not impede communication. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to demonstrate a more precise and flexible control of less common vocabulary and idiomatic phrases with consistent accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as conditional and relative clauses. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including fragment sentences like 'Which subsequently produces better problem solving abilities', missing articles such as 'in the Europe', and subject-verb agreement issues like 'language barrier and distraction is'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication. To move up to the next band, the student should aim for more frequent error-free sentences when using complex grammatical structures and pay closer attention to punctuation boundaries.

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

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