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)

Universities should make it mandatory into the program that every undergraduate students needs to spend some amount of time studying or working in a overseas country. I believe that this has far more positive effects compared to negative effects such as they learn how to maneuver through distinct challenges in the life and cope with different perspectives.

It could be argued that students in undergraduate are not emotionally stable and is in a constant need of family members and friends. They might not have someone to share their problems that they are facing and could have substantial impact psychologically on their brain and as well as their life.

However, I believe that students studying abroad can get more mature by studying or working in a different environment than they are currently living in as it would teach them how to face different obstacles, how to interact with others in life in workplace developing pressure handling abilities and they will be able to maneuver through their career far better. For example handling different responsibilities when you land in a new country such as city registration, at the same time they are preparing their own food if they don't have financial restrictions, at the same time interacting with other people on university or work place helps them to nourish.

Another advantage I believe students studying abroad or working overseas is that they get to learn new culture, get a perspective on how other people living in a different area might approach the same problem differently. It helps overall in broadening the mind. For example, a person who learnt new ways on how to keep the workplace environment healthy, will try to implement them in their own country as well when he returns.

In conclusion, universities in their undergraduate program courses should make it mandatory to spend some time overseas for studying or working. I believe the student will develop more abilities that will help him maneuver through his life and broadening the mind thus positive effects are far more than disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you believe overseas study or work brings greater benefits than drawbacks. You address both sides by noting possible emotional difficulties away from family and then explaining gains in independence, workplace skills and cultural understanding. The examples of handling city registration and learning healthier workplace practices help make these points relevant. This meets the task well, but the disadvantage is less fully explored than the advantages, and some benefits are asserted rather than explained—for instance, how pressure-handling skills improve a student’s career. To strengthen the response, develop the counterargument and connect each example more explicitly to why the overall advantages outweigh the costs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting a concern, two paragraphs on advantages, and a conclusion that restates your view. The progression from personal independence to cultural learning is logical, and signposts such as “However,” “Another advantage,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow it. Some links within sentences are less controlled, especially the example beginning “For example handling different responsibilities,” where several activities are joined by repeated “at the same time.” This makes the relationship between the details harder to follow. Use clearer sentence boundaries and vary linking methods; also make references such as “they” and “them” more precise when several groups or ideas appear nearby.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “emotionally stable,” “obstacles,” “responsibilities,” “perspective,” and “broadening the mind,” which allows you to discuss personal and cultural benefits. There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “maneuver through,” but this phrase is repeated and does not always collocate naturally with “their career” or “their life.” Other choices, including “nourish” for personal development and “impact psychologically on their brain,” are imprecise or awkward, and “in a overseas country” contains an article error that affects natural phrasing. Aim for more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating the same key expression. The meaning remains generally understandable, but these noticeable word-choice issues limit fluency and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “as” and “when,” and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, errors in agreement, articles and sentence construction recur. For example, “every undergraduate students needs” mixes a singular determiner with a plural noun and verb; “students … is” has a subject–verb agreement problem; and “in a overseas country” uses the wrong article. The long example beginning “For example handling different responsibilities” is also difficult to control, with several clauses joined without clear punctuation. These errors do not generally prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy. Check agreement and articles carefully, and divide long sentences into shorter, complete units while continuing to practise varied clause structures.

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