Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-09

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)

Education is the most powerful tools for improving individuals and society. University should not provide only theoritical knowledege but also they provide practical knowledge for the future carrers. Some people believe that every undergraduate course should include a period of studying abroad or completing a work placement. I largely agree with this idea because the benefits of practical experience and international exposure outweigh the disadvantages.

One significant advantage of this approach is that work experience allows students to understand how their academic knowledge is used in real workplaces. They can develop practical skills such as communication, leadership, time management and problem-sloving. These skills help students to enhance confidence level and easily finding interest related jobs. For example, a pharmacy student who complete their graduation and works on the multinational company such as Johnson and Johnson, can learn about quality control, documentation and research and development more practically.

Another pros of this approach is that people can learn about different cultures and traditions. They feel more independent and responsible. Studying or working abroad can increase quality of life-style. Living another country may expose different languages and way of thinking. For instance, an Indian student studying in the UK may become more confident in using English. From an alternative perspective, this approach is very costly for lower income family; they spend their money on travelling, higher-level study, accommodations and other expenses.

To recapitulate, although universities should provide affordable options with different cultural experiences. I vehemently agree with this statement that the advantages outweigh the disadvantage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you largely agree that the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and the conclusion restates this view. You address both sides by discussing practical skills and cultural exposure, then acknowledging the financial burden on lower-income families. The pharmacy example also helps illustrate how workplace learning can complement academic study. This meets the task well, while the response shows some of the fuller development expected at the next level. However, the cost disadvantage is only briefly mentioned, and the cultural benefits are asserted more than explained. Develop these points by showing how universities could reduce costs and why the benefits apply across different courses, not just through one example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The paragraphs generally group related ideas, and signposts such as “One significant advantage,” “For instance” and “From an alternative perspective” help readers follow the argument. However, progression within the second body paragraph is less controlled: cultural benefits, independence, quality of life, language learning and cost are introduced in quick succession, with limited explanation of how they connect. The conclusion’s opening, “although universities should provide affordable options,” also does not link smoothly to the preceding discussion. Use clearer transitions between benefits and drawbacks, and develop each paragraph around a more focused sequence of claim, explanation and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “practical skills,” “international exposure,” “quality control” and “cultural experiences.” These choices make the main ideas clear, and you attempt some less common phrasing. However, several word-choice, collocation and spelling errors reduce precision: “another pros,” “enhance confidence level,” “quality of life-style,” “theoritical knowledege” and “problem-sloving.” Some expressions also sound unnatural, such as “easily finding interest related jobs.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but they limit the accuracy and flexibility of the vocabulary. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling and word forms; for example, use “build confidence” and “find jobs related to their interests.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “because,” a relative clause beginning “who,” and a concession introduced by “although.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “Education is the most powerful tools” has a subject–verb agreement and number problem, while “a pharmacy student who complete their graduation and works” has inconsistent verb forms and agreement. The final sentence, “although universities should provide affordable options…” is a dependent clause presented as a complete sentence, and “I agree … that the advantages outweigh the disadvantage” has a number mismatch. Work on agreement, complete sentence structure and consistent verb forms while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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