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)

It is proposed that all university undergraduate programmes ought to incorporate a compulsory components of either international study or professional work experience.

Although this requirement could create a certain difficulties. I believe that advantages would outweigh the disadvantages. Because it help students gain valuable practical skill and become better prepared for future careers.

One major advantage of this approach that i would give students experience beyond the classroom. Academic knowledge is important but employers also value communication, teamwork problem-solving and solve problems independently. A work placement, for example, would allow students to apply the theories that they learned at university to real-life situation. This could make graduate more confident and employable. For instance a business student who spend several months working for company learn how to communicate with clients and manage deadline, skill that are difficult to develop through lectures only.

Studying abroad could provide additional benefits. Living in another country would expose student to different cultures, languages and way of thinking. As result they could more independent, adaptable and open minded. These qualities are particularly valuable in an increasingly globalised workplace . For example a student form Pakistan who spends a semester studying in Germany might develop a better understanding of European culture and learn to communicate effectively with people from different backgrounds.

However, making this experience compulsory could create many disadvantages. Some students may unable to afford living cost or travelling expense, while others may have family responsibilities that prevent from them to participating it may cause of delay course.

In conclusion, Although, compulsory study- abroad or work-placement could create finical and practical challenges. I believe that their advantages are greater.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of making study abroad or work placements compulsory, and clearly states an overall position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The ideas presented are generally relevant, fulfilling the criteria for addressing the task effectively. However, the response sits at this level because some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the paragraph on studying abroad provides a clear and developed example involving a student from Pakistan in Germany, whereas the discussion on disadvantages is relatively limited and mentions several points, such as financial costs and family responsibilities, without extending them deeply. To reach a higher level, all main ideas, particularly the counter-arguments, would need to be thoroughly expanded with more detailed explanation or supporting examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, such as work placements, studying abroad, and the disadvantages. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'One major advantage', 'Studying abroad', and 'However'. Nevertheless, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, and referencing is not always completely clear. For example, the sentence fragments and punctuation issues, such as starting sentences with conjunctions incorrectly like 'Because it help students', disrupt the smooth flow of the text. Furthermore, paragraphing is applied, but the transition between ideas within paragraphs could be managed more skilfully. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to employ a wider and more natural range of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing across sentences maintains a seamless and logical link throughout.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating a sufficient range to communicate the main points about university courses and career preparation. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'compulsory components', 'professional work experience', and 'globalised workplace'. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation. Examples include 'certain difficulties' rather than 'certain difficulties', 'finical' instead of 'financial', and awkward phrasing like 'cause of delay course'. Additionally, spelling and word form errors, such as 'employable' used in contexts where word form is slightly strained or 'student form Pakistan', occur throughout the text. These errors do not impede overall communication, which aligns with the expected standard, but to progress further, the writer must demonstrate greater precision, better control of collocations, and fewer lexical slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use varied grammatical structures. For instance, the writer uses conditional and subordinate clauses, such as 'Although this requirement could create a certain difficulties' and 'A work placement, for example, would allow students to apply the theories that they learned'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly involving subject-verb agreement ('it help students'), articles ('compulsory components', 'for company'), sentence boundaries (fragment sentences like 'Because it help students...'), and prepositions ('prevent from them to participating'). While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they do persist throughout the text and indicate that control over complex structures is still developing. To attain a higher band, the writer needs to produce a greater proportion of error-free sentences and eliminate basic agreement and punctuation mistakes.

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

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