Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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)

Undergraduate courses revolves around a combination of practical and methodological learning . Students alloting time to get international exposure or gaining work experience through on the job training, can stretch their chances to land greater opportunities after graduating.

There are numerous advantages that studying overseas or doing work placement can provide. First of all, it can strengthen the foundation of the student's knowledge and skill. When they learn in a much wider and realistic scene, growth and character are hone in preparation for real-life employment. Students then do not just learn traditionally from text book, but they are actively applying what they have learned. This in turn, leads to increase understanding and expectation of the reality of their courses.

Moreover, certain undergraduate courses requires not just local platform to gain knowledge but can all the more expand growth and insights in the global standards. For instance, tourism and management program takes a great importance in not just learning the native history of the country but also the milestones of worldwide development throughout a period of time. This do not just prepare them to become internationally competitive individuals but a succesful one.

On the other hand, downsides of not having enough exposure to employment scene could diminish the students overall understanding as to how businesses work. They will be deprived of the necessary skills that can be learn in training field and and the scene itself that will surely maximized their job potential.

In conclusion, all undergraduate courses will benefit in studying abroad or doing work placements in their expected fields. It is my opinion, that the positive effects clearly outweigh the drawbacks as this opprotunity stretch not just their education but also the insights of what their job really meant for them.

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 studying abroad or doing a work placement, culminating in a clear position that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the paragraph outlining the disadvantages is rather brief and underdeveloped compared to the advantages sections, mentioning only that students 'will be deprived of the necessary skills' without exploring specific counter-arguments in depth. To move to a higher band, the writer should ensure that all sides of the argument are explored with equal depth and supported by more fully elaborated examples rather than generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas from introduction to conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct body paragraphs dedicated to advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand' are employed to guide the reader through the arguments. Nevertheless, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in referencing issues and abrupt transitions between sentences. To achieve a higher level of coherence, the writer needs to integrate cohesive devices more naturally and ensure tighter logical links between sentences and paragraphs without relying on formulaic transition markers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'methodological learning', 'international exposure', and 'internationally competitive'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word forms throughout the essay. Examples include 'revolves' instead of 'revolve' (in agreement), 'alloting' instead of 'allotting' (spelling), 'scene' instead of 'setting' or 'environment', 'are hone' instead of 'are honed' (word form), 'increase understanding' instead of 'increased understanding', and the spelling error 'succesful'. These lexical slips and awkward collocations occasionally impede smooth communication, indicating that more precise vocabulary control is needed to reach the next band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like relative clauses and conditional-like statements. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely impede communication. Notable grammatical issues include subject-verb agreement errors such as 'Undergraduate courses revolves' and 'certain undergraduate courses requires', missing articles like 'from text book', and awkward prepositional phrasing such as 'takes a great importance in'. Additionally, there is a pluralisation error with 'a succesful one' referring back to plural individuals. To progress further, the writer should aim for a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and exercise greater control over grammatical agreements and plurals.

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

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