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)

All universities should have the undergraduate students to spent time studying abroad or doing a work placement. The essay will include advantages and disadvantages of this statement followed by a relevent example.

On one hand, the universities who include courses with period of time spent abroad or at work placement, are taking the responsibility of making sure there students are experienced in their field. Studying abroad helps the students to explore and learn more about their course. So, that the students are not limited to opportunities. If the country does not have advanced resourses then it will restrict the students to learn and understand their course thoroughly. Helping the students get a work placement makes the task of the students easier. They don't have to worry about their placements and they don't have to invest time in searching for good work opportunities.

On the other hand, studying abroad is not cheap. Not all students can afford to study abroad. If students leave their countries to study abroad then it will affect their countries growth cause students are the future of their country. Universities can try to improve the resourses in the country rather than requiring students to travel abroad. If universities provide work placement then students may not have an option and work at a place against their will.

There are more advantages than disadvantages. If a student is not able to afford their studies then they can work hard and achieve a scholarship.

For instance, my aunt studied and secured a scholarship which got her a chance to study abroad. She was able to study pharmacy abroad. At that time, there were not many resourses in her country in her field. She was able to learn and experience more about her course. She travelled back to her country caused a positive change in her field with her experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position throughout, which is a strong characteristic of higher bands. The writer discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of making study abroad or work placements mandatory, and concludes that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. However, some ideas are under-developed rather than fully extended. For example, the point about countries losing future growth when students leave is introduced but not fully explained with sufficient supporting logic. Similarly, the solution regarding scholarships is stated briefly at the end rather than integrated into the main body paragraphs. This uneven development keeps the response firmly in the mid-range for this criterion, showing the ability to address the prompt fully in outline while needing deeper elaboration of core arguments to reach the next level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas from the introduction through to the conclusion. The writer uses standard paragraphing to separate different parts of the argument, placing advantages and disadvantages in distinct sections. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. Phrases like 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand' are utilized, but referencing and transitional links within paragraphs can be unclear. For instance, the transition into the personal example at the end feels abrupt rather than smoothly integrated into the discussion about scholarships and affordability. Paragraphing could also be managed more effectively, as the single-sentence paragraphs disrupt the overall flow. These issues mean that while the structure is clear enough to follow easily, the cohesive devices lack flexibility and precision.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating central ideas about education and career opportunities. There are clear attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'advanced resourses', 'scholarship', and 'pharmacy', but these are accompanied by recurring spelling mistakes ('resourses', 'cause' instead of 'because', 'relevent') and minor word-choice inaccuracies. Some collocations are also slightly awkward, such as 'caused a positive change' instead of 'brought about'. While these lexical shortcomings do not seriously impede communication, the presence of frequent spelling and word-form slips prevents the vocabulary from achieving the flexibility and precision required for higher band levels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to handle varied grammatical structures. For instance, the writer successfully employs conditional clauses ('If the country does not have advanced resourses then it will restrict...') and relative clauses. However, there are numerous errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text. These include issues with verb forms and infinitives ('have the undergraduate students to spent time'), article omission ('at work placement'), and prepositions inside grammatical patterns. Although these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains mostly clear to the reader, the frequency of basic structural inaccuracies means the majority of sentences are not error-free, keeping the grammar score within the mid-range.

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

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