Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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)

The curriculum of all the colleges and universities should have few semesters in which students travelled to different nations for study. Alternatively, students should be permitted to work or do internships in their domain. This essay will examine the merits to this approach, and assess whether it outweigh its drawbacks.

One of the major benefits of the approach in studying aborad is the exposure. They get to study in an environment different from their own university. Moreover, undergrad students get an opportunity to work with students coming from different cultures from all around the globe. Apart from foreign study, a internship helps in getting their hands dirty in the field they are studying. Not only this increases their work experience, but also gives them a chance to earn in form of stipends while studying. A good example of this is Tetr School of Business, founded by Pratham Mittal in India. It has tied up with more than 5 nations and top MNCs, enabling student to study in different nations and work with tech giant companies.

Despite these benefits, one significant drawback that pulls back this approach is affordability. These undergraduate courses including study abroad and work placements have a huge tuition fees. And, most of the students do not come from wealthy backgrounds. As a result, this becomes unaffordable to those students and they simply opt for a simple course.

In conclusion, this approach can be beneficial to students in lot ways in building their career and definitely outweights the demerits. But in my opinion, universities should not make a compulsion in opting for such courses and should provide alternatives for those are not weal .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the merits and drawbacks of mandatory study abroad or work placements, establishing a clear position in the introduction and conclusion. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, the paragraph on benefits introduces two distinct concepts—study abroad exposure and practical internships—but supports them quickly with a brief real-world example rather than fully extending both arguments. Similarly, the counterargument regarding affordability is relevant, but remains somewhat generalized without exploring deeper financial implications. Overall, the ideas presented are pertinent to the prompt and the position remains clear throughout, reflecting the characteristics of this level of task response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. It is divided into clear paragraphs that separate the introduction, the benefits, the drawbacks, and the conclusion, which demonstrates the organisational features of a higher band. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the text, such as 'Moreover', 'Apart from', and 'Despite these benefits'. However, some of the referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or simplistic. For example, pronouns like 'They' in the second paragraph lack a completely clear immediate antecedent ('the approach in studying aborad' versus the implied students), and transitions between sentences could sometimes flow more smoothly. These elements show that while the structure is clear and logical, fully flexible and unobtrusive cohesion is not yet consistently sustained.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and subject-related terminology such as 'curriculum', 'internships', 'stipends', and 'affordability'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, spelling, and collocation that prevent the writing from achieving a higher level of lexical precision. For example, 'aborad' is misspelled, 'makes a compulsion' is an unnatural collocation for making something mandatory, and 'weal' in the final sentence appears to be an incomplete word or error for wealthy. Phrases like 'getting their hands dirty' are also slightly informal for an academic essay. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, they reflect the lexical control typical of this band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures such as conditional and concessive clauses ('Although', 'Despite these benefits, one significant drawback...'). There are some successful complex sentences, alongside control over basic verb tenses. However, several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing patterns are present throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues and prepositions, such as 'whether it outweigh its drawbacks' (instead of 'outweighs'), 'in form of stipends' (missing article), 'in lot ways' (missing article), and 'those are not weal'. Punctuation and article usage also show occasional lapses. These errors occur across a mix of structures but rarely impede overall understanding, fitting the descriptor well.

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

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