Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

All undergraduate degrees should include a course of time abroad either as placement or studying in a different college is a widely discussed topic these days. Although it does have certain disadvantages like becoming the odd one out or getting into bad company. Whereas, i believe that there are more advantages than disadvantages like that of more networking opportunities, and more exposure.

When it comes to the demerits, people who normally get back from a foreign country finds it hard to get along with their peers whereas, there is a high likelihood of the fact that they might fall into some sort of wrongdoings like that of Alcoholism and wrong company. As the exposure that they get outside of their home country is different from their own societal values .For example normally there are high number of cases where student fall into the trap of high consumption of alcohol due to the wrong company they get into after moving abroad.

Whereas, merits are always more when it comes to demerits such as, when students move abroad either for doing a semester studies or a placement during their studies they tend to have more and more networking opportunities compared to what they had back home for example, they can volunteer for big firm, like that of meta and google. Apart from that, these students get a different kind of exposure like exploring other cultures, cuisines and getting along with things they are unfimiliar with, for example undergraduation opportunities such as SUSI and UGRAD provide people a different kind of exposure with people of multiple ethnicities, backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. When they came together and have shared experiences with eachother they tend to grow not as individuals but as eachother's counterparts.

In conclusion, the advantages certainly outweighs the disadvantages in every domain whether it is the exposure, the experience or the growth that comes along with it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits of overseas study or placements outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both sides of the question. The discussion of networking and cultural exposure is relevant, with examples such as volunteering at large firms and the SUSI and UGRAD programmes. This gives the response a solid, task-focused foundation. To make the argument more fully developed, explain more precisely how these experiences improve students’ academic or career prospects, and balance the claim about alcohol and “wrong company” with a clearer account of how common or avoidable these risks are. The conclusion restates your view, but could synthesise the main reasons rather than listing broad benefits. Some ideas are therefore less fully supported than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on disadvantages, a paragraph on advantages, and a conclusion. The reader can follow the main contrast between the two sides. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by mechanical or inaccurate linking. “Whereas” begins both the introduction’s contrast and the advantages paragraph, although it does not always connect the clauses smoothly; “Apart from that” is also used to add another point without clearly showing its relationship to the previous one. Some references are unclear, particularly “they tend to grow not as individuals but as eachother’s counterparts.” Use topic sentences that state each paragraph’s main claim, then develop it in a clear sequence, with fewer repeated contrast markers and more precise referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “networking opportunities,” “societal values,” “exposure,” and “multiple ethnicities,” which helps communicate the topic. There are also attempts at less common expressions, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural and reduce precision: “a course of time abroad,” “wrongdoings like that of Alcoholism,” and “semester studies” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling and word-form errors such as “unfimiliar” and “undergraduation” are noticeable, while repeated use of “exposure” and “different kind” limits flexibility. Choose established collocations and check spelling; more precise wording would make the argument sound clearer and more academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “Although,” “when,” and “whereas.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, sentence boundaries, and clause structure sometimes make the reader pause. For example, “people … finds it hard” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “Although it does have certain disadvantages … Whereas, i believe” leaves an incomplete contrast and then starts a new clause awkwardly. In “When they came together and have shared experiences,” the verb forms do not fit together. Review agreement, consistent tense, and how dependent clauses connect to main clauses. Also use capitalisation and punctuation consistently, especially at sentence openings and around full stops.

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