Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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)

There is an ongoing debate whether all university undergraduate studies should add a particular time spent studying in foriegn countries or doing a work placement. I believe that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages because it provides wider range of real-world exeperience to students.

One of the main advantages of having courses for studying or work placement in abroad during undergraduation is that it increases students' knowledge of the field and teach important lessons. This is because living in a different country widen students' horizons by understanding the real environment of corporation and can have benefit of studying at international level. For example,if computer science students spend one semester time in the US, then they might acknowledge the new technology and the real compitition and reality of corporate world. Through this experience they can inhance their field and can do more research. Therefore, having some time at foreign countries can improve students' overall performance.

The perks of studying or doing work placement at foreign countries might be costly for some students. Students coming from low income background might not be able to pay the living cost and tution fees of abroad. Moreover, some students can become distracted by other activities such as travelling or by doing some unwanted activities. For instance, students wasting their money by travelling and by doing fun in that country. All these activities could lead to end their career. However, these problem can be solved by some exams and stricter rules and poor students might have facality of scholarship and some pay from the governments.

In conclusion, although studying or doing work placement have some disavantages, I believe its advantages outweigh disadvantages because it improves students' profile and ready them for real job environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction and conclusion: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. You address both sides with relevant points, including broader professional experience and the financial burden on students from low-income backgrounds. The computer-science example also helps illustrate the potential value of international exposure. This meets the task well overall, but some ideas are less fully developed than others. For instance, the claim that students may be distracted by travel is asserted rather than explained, and the proposed solutions of stricter rules and scholarships are not explored in detail. To strengthen the response, explain how placements benefit students across different subjects and weigh those benefits more explicitly against the costs and risks.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, a paragraph on disadvantages and possible solutions, and a conclusion. Ideas generally progress in a sensible order, and linking expressions such as “For example,” “Therefore,” and “However” help show relationships between points. This gives the essay coherent organisation, though some connections are mechanical or unclear. In the second body paragraph, the shift from costs to students’ possible distractions and then to solutions is abrupt; the reference in “these problem” is also not clearly tied to one specific issue. Use topic sentences to signal each paragraph’s main focus, and connect each example and proposed solution directly to the point it supports. This would make progression more consistently smooth.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “work placement,” “low income background,” “international level,” and “corporate world,” so the reader can follow the main argument. However, the range and control are limited by repeated general wording and noticeable spelling, word-form, and collocation errors. Examples include “foriegn,” “exeperience,” “compitition,” and “inhance,” as well as unnatural phrases such as “studying in abroad” and “real environment of corporation.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning less immediate, even though it is usually recoverable. Build a more precise set of expressions for education, employment, and costs, and check spelling and common word partnerships carefully. More accurate phrasing would help you express your ideas with greater clarity and flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if computer science students spend one semester… then they might…” and a concession in the conclusion. The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. For example, “it increases students’ knowledge … and teach” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “living in a different country widen students’ horizons” also needs agreement. In “these problem can be solved,” the demonstrative and noun do not match. Review agreement and article use, and proofread sentence boundaries and punctuation, especially after introductory phrases. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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