Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-08

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 would be very beneficial for the students if all university courses required for a bachelor degree include the dedicated time studying abroad or doing a job at a professional place.

If we talk about studying in a different country, it will build the student's knowledge and concepts in a different way. When students get an exposure to an international environment, they learn a lot of new things. It improves their educational skills and boosts their confidence. Studying with several international students enhances the learning, as every student is carrying something unique or new to learn. It increases their ability to work in an international team and also improves their communication skills.

When students spend a trimester or few weeks in a work place, they actually get a chance to apply their knowledge in the practical life. Problem solving in real life is very different from reading it on a textbook in many aspects. When students apply their skills in professional way to a real problem, they get to know about many other factors which are affecting that particular problem and they learn about their weeknesses as well. It helps students in their research and experiments during studies.

I think it would have more positive impacts on student's learning than negative impacts. Most of the time students do not have money to meet the expenses of studying abroad, but if the university provides scholarships or any fundings that would help students to polish their existing skills. Most of companies want experience before offering a job to the graduates. Students who have completed internships for different courses would find it easy to get a job.

The only disadvantage of studying abroad or doing a work placement both is the short time. As the time is short students find it difficult to get used to a very new environment. By the time they adjust in a new place the time for the semester is already over.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both study abroad and work placements. The discussion gives relevant reasons, including international collaboration, practical application of knowledge, and improved employment prospects. The funding point also recognises a genuine obstacle and suggests a response. This meets the task well, but the support is uneven: the benefits are listed more than fully explained, and the disadvantage of having too little time is introduced only briefly. To strengthen the argument, explain how universities could make placements accessible to students with different financial circumstances, and develop the adjustment problem with a specific consequence or example. This would make the reasoning more consistently extended and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it moves from study abroad, to work placements, then to your overall judgement and a disadvantage. Paragraphs generally have clear central topics, and links such as “When students” and “Most of the time” help readers follow the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes list-like, particularly in the study-abroad paragraph, where several benefits are added without showing how they connect. The final paragraph also introduces a drawback after the conclusion-like statement of your view, which slightly weakens the ending. Use clearer transitions to distinguish your position from the counterargument, and connect each supporting point through explanation or an example rather than relying mainly on repeated “It” and “students” references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “international environment,” “professional,” “practical life,” “scholarships,” and “internships.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and you attempt some less common expressions such as “polish their existing skills.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “a job at a professional place,” “carrying something unique,” and “fundings” do not express the intended ideas naturally. There is also a spelling error in “weeknesses.” Build a more precise range by learning common academic and employment collocations, and check word forms and spelling. For example, describe students as bringing different perspectives, and refer to workplace experience or professional settings.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and time clauses such as “if the university provides scholarships” and “By the time they adjust in a new place.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, and the errors rarely prevent understanding. Some grammatical problems remain, however. In the opening, “courses … include” does not agree with the singular subject “degree”; “a trimester or few weeks” is missing an article; and “apply their skills in professional way” also needs an article. The phrase “the only disadvantage … both is” has an awkward grammatical construction, while “Most of companies” needs a determiner. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence construction, then proofread for these patterns. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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