Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 6.5)

All university degree courses should give students the opportunity to spend some time studying in another country or working in a company. Although this can have some disadvantages, I believe that the advantages are greater because students can gain useful skills and experience for their future careers.

On the one hand, making these programmes compulsory can cause problems for some students. The main disadvantage is the financial cost. Studying abroad is very expensive because students have to pay for flights, accommodation, and daily expenses, which poor students cannot afford. Furthermore, doing a work placement can might make the university course longer. Instead of finishing in three years, students might take four years to graduate, which delays them from earning money in a permanent job.

On the other hand, the advantages are very important for a students' future. Firstly, studying and working in different places can give students practical experience. For example, a business student doing a work placement learns how a real office operates, from reading a textbook. Secondly, this experience looks very good on a resume. Nowadays, employers prefer to hire graduates who already have some work experience and who know how to communicate with people from another country. Therefore, it makes graduates more competitive in the job market.

In conclusion, although compulsory study abroad or internships can be expensive and take more time also I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The practical skills and better job opportunities it provides are worth the extra effort for most students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. You address both sides with relevant points, including the cost of travel and accommodation, delayed graduation, practical experience, and improved employability. The business-placement example helps make one benefit concrete. However, some ideas are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, you say students learn how a real office operates, but the phrase “from reading a textbook” does not clearly explain what they learn through the placement or why it matters. The point about communicating with people from another country could also use an example. This covers the task well overall, but fuller development and support would make the argument more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for disadvantages and advantages, and a conclusion. The contrast markers “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” followed by “In conclusion,” make the progression easy to follow. Ideas within each paragraph are generally ordered sensibly, moving from a main point to explanation or an example. Some linking is mechanical, however, and the repeated “Firstly” and “Secondly” pattern could be made more varied. There are also places where connections between ideas need clearer expression: the sentence about learning how an office operates “from reading a textbook” makes the relationship between placement experience and textbook learning confusing. More precise referencing and smoother links would strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “practical experience,” “permanent job,” “resume,” and “competitive in the job market.” These phrases communicate the main ideas clearly, and some topic-specific language helps the response feel relevant. There are also word-choice and collocation problems that limit precision. “A students’ future” has an incorrect form, while “looks very good on a resume” is understandable but informal and imprecise for an academic essay. “Daily expenses” and “work placement” are appropriate, but several ideas rely on general wording such as “very important” and “some time.” Aim for more precise academic phrasing and check possessives and collocations so that your vocabulary sounds more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concessive opening (“Although this can have some disadvantages”) and a relative clause (“graduates who already have some work experience”). Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely prevent the reader from following your argument. Some grammatical slips remain. In “doing a work placement can might make,” two modal verbs are used together; choose either “can” or “might.” The phrase “a students’ future” also has an agreement and possessive-form problem, and the conclusion needs clearer punctuation and sentence structure around “take more time also I believe.” Continue using complex structures, but proofread modal verbs, noun forms, and clause boundaries to improve accuracy.

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