Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11

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)

Undergraduate studies should include a time period where students spend time learning in other countries or doing a placement job,as it is beneficial for students but there might be some disadvantages to it.

Education in a foreign country even for a short period of time provide students exposure. When visiting a new country, students experience new culture and ways of learning which can help broaden their perspective and learn new skills. For example , if an automobile engineering student visits Germany which is the centre for automotive industry, he will learn about latest developments in that sector. This facilitates learning and skill development. Other important aspects are independence and adaptability. When working or living abroad, students tend to become more independent as the learn to navigate the professional settings independently without any help from teachers or guides and learn to adapt the changes. This promotes self-independence and confidence.

There is also a disadvantage of finanacial stress of moving abroad while studying. Some students might not be able to afford foreign expenses without secure scholarships. This can create financial burden of loan repayment which can cause distress. Culture shock and language barrier are also a big concern as it is difficult for some students to learn a new language. This hindrance can affect work or learning experience as well .

Overall, I believe the advantages of learning abroad or working significantly outweigh the disadvantages if an individual has secure finances and is ready to make efforts to adapt and learn. The abroad experience will help in career development and personal growth of a student as they build their future in professional settings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your response addresses both sides of the question and gives a clear, consistent view that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The examples about an engineering student learning from Germany’s automotive industry and students becoming more independent support relevant advantages, while financial pressure and culture shock provide a reasonable counterargument. This covers the task effectively, with ideas extended and supported. To make the discussion more fully developed, explain more specifically how a work placement, as distinct from studying abroad, benefits students, and expand on how universities could reduce the financial disadvantage. The conclusion restates your position and links the experience to career and personal growth, though that final claim could be tied more explicitly to the examples already discussed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a concluding position. The progression from educational exposure to independence is logical, and the contrast introduced by “There is also a disadvantage” helps signal the shift. However, some connections are basic or repetitive, particularly the repeated references to learning and development, and the opening sentence is crowded with both the topic and a general evaluation. Some ideas within the advantages paragraph would be easier to follow if separated or linked more precisely. Use a wider range of natural transitions and clearer referencing, and ensure punctuation around linking phrases is consistent, to make the organisation feel more fluent rather than reliant on straightforward signposting.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “exposure,” “automotive industry,” “financial burden,” “culture shock,” and “adaptability.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and some are appropriately specific to education and employment. There are also several imprecise or unnatural expressions, such as “placement job,” “secure finances,” and “learn to adapt the changes”; these reduce the naturalness of the writing. “Self-independence” is also redundant, while “financial” is misspelled as “finanacial.” Aim for more accurate collocations and avoid repeating broad terms such as “learning” and “experience.” More precise phrasing would help you express the distinction between academic study abroad and workplace placements with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional example beginning “if an automobile engineering student visits Germany” and a subordinate clause explaining that financial pressure “can cause distress.” Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Education … provide students” needs subject–verb agreement (“provides”), and “as the learn” should be “as they learn.” The phrase “learn to adapt the changes” also needs a grammatical adjustment, such as “adapt to changes.” There are punctuation and spacing slips, including the comma joined directly to “job” and spaces before commas or full stops. Review agreement, pronoun forms, prepositions, and sentence punctuation to improve accuracy while retaining your range of structures.

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