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 tertiary educational programs ought to add a specific period of time while either studying foreign country or doing a work placement. This essay will discuss both the advantages and disadvantages. Before exploring the reasons behind this, I think advantages arguably outweigh the drawbacks. Advantages are student can gain practical experience, develop social skills. In contrast, some students have responsibilities and financial problems.

One of the major advantage is students are started gaining practical experience which is beneficial for them because they can easily earn after completing the degree, working part time can teach them a lot they can not learn these things from classroom lessons alone, after graduations companies mostly demanded practical experience therefore, they can more easily get that job for example a Cybersecurity student completing a work placement at an IT company, may help the student gain permanent job with high salary.

one of the major drawback is mostly students do not have financial stability. To support themselves in a foreign country, Studying abroad may be a bit more expensive. So, students are frequently struggling for tuition fees, accommodation and food and if a students failed to meet the expenses than he or she may be depressed and the cortisol of their bodies can rise. For example a student is studying abroad and his parents can not afford than his main focus is not on graduation but on costs of living and this can cause serious problems in studies.

To conclude, although studying abroad can be financially challenging for some students, l believe that the benefits of gaining practical experience and improving career prospects outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the question and state a clear view: “advantages arguably outweigh the drawbacks,” which is reinforced in the conclusion. The practical-experience point is relevant and supported with a specific cybersecurity placement example. The financial difficulty of studying abroad is also explained, including its possible effect on students’ focus. This meets the task well, while some ideas are less fully developed than others: the social-skills benefit is mentioned in the introduction but not explained, and the discussion focuses mainly on placements for career gains and overseas study costs rather than considering both options across the essay. To strengthen the response, develop the social benefit and explain more directly why the advantages apply broadly enough to outweigh the financial and personal drawbacks for all undergraduates.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph on a benefit, one on a drawback, and a conclusion that restates your position. The examples generally follow the points they are intended to support, so the reader can follow the main argument. However, progression within the body paragraphs is sometimes weakened by long, loosely connected sentences, particularly the sentence beginning “students are started gaining practical experience.” Linking expressions such as “In contrast” and “To conclude” help, but some connections feel mechanical, and the introduction’s mention of social skills is not carried forward. Use clearer topic sentences, divide explanations into shorter units, and connect each example explicitly to the claim it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “practical experience,” “work placement,” “financial stability,” “accommodation,” and “career prospects.” These choices make the subject and your main points clear, and the cybersecurity example adds useful specificity. There are also attempts at more precise language, but some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “studying foreign country,” “started gaining practical experience,” and “companies mostly demanded practical experience.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce naturalness and precision. Aim to learn common academic collocations and check word forms and phrasing. For example, describe students as “gaining” experience and employers as “requiring” it, rather than translating ideas word by word.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “because,” “although,” and “if,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, especially in longer sentences. Examples include “One of the major advantage,” “a students failed,” and “if he or she may be depressed,” where agreement, number, or verb structure is faulty. The sentence beginning “working part time can teach them” also runs several ideas together, with punctuation that makes the relationships difficult to follow. These recurring errors sometimes make the reader pause, which limits accuracy. Practise subject–verb agreement, articles and plurals, and build complex sentences in shorter, clearly punctuated units; then check each sentence for a complete and consistent grammatical structure.

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