Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

There is a common belief that all university undergraduate courses must allocate a specific time period to be spent getting foreign education or doing a temporary job. In my opinion, going to another country or doing internship would benefit the students professionally, and will also open the ways to know about different national or work cultures.

One of the main advantage of including a period of time to spent studying abroad is that the students will get education in different institues, from different qualified professors, and going to a country where the quality of education is better would lead to upgrade their knowledge and will broaden their educational horizon. Moreover, students studying at better institutes will contribute back in the growth of their parent country. For instance, China was sending its students to developed countries like the USA, who get technical knowledge there and after coming back, they transformed their industry. They also bring the best habits of Americans like dedication to work, and time management, and apply to their local culture to uplift them.

Similarly, doing internship will provide a hands on experience to the students who will otherwise get only theoratical knowledge and would go the job market without experience, and they would have benefit over those who have not done any work placement. For example, many companies require an internship from applicants who are looking for a permanent job, that must have been done while studying.

On the other hand, there are a few drawbacks too, as sometime students who went to other countries, get involved in criminal activities, and loose their interest in education, leading to long term consequences for their careers. Likewise, negative work culture at a workplace would be harmful for the positive perception of students about their future goals, and they might think it is not valuable to do a job.

In conclusion, although there are few disadvantages, the advantages clearly outweigh them like getting education from qualified institues and teachers will have positive impact in developing individuals professionally, and for their own countries too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction and conclusion: you believe the benefits of overseas study or work placements outweigh the drawbacks. You address both sides and support the benefits with relevant examples, including students gaining technical knowledge abroad and internships helping applicants meet employers’ expectations. This fits the descriptor because the main ideas are extended and supported. However, the discussion is somewhat uneven: the benefits of study abroad receive more explanation than the benefits of placements, while the drawbacks are asserted rather than illustrated. For example, the claim that students may become involved in crime or lose interest in education would be more convincing if you explained how likely or relevant this is to a compulsory placement. Develop each point with a clearer explanation of its significance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two advantages, a paragraph acknowledging disadvantages, and a conclusion that restates your position. The progression from education abroad to work experience is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Moreover,” “Similarly,” and “On the other hand” help readers understand the relationships between ideas. This is a logical and generally well-managed organisation. At times, however, the linking feels formulaic, and some sentences contain several connected points without a clear hierarchy. In the first body paragraph, for instance, the discussion moves from professors and educational quality to national development and work habits. Use clearer sentence boundaries and make the connection between each example and the paragraph’s main claim more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss education, employment, and cultural experience, including “technical knowledge,” “hands on experience,” “work placement,” and “long term consequences.” These choices make the argument clear, and you attempt some less common expressions such as “educational horizon.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which limits precision: “open the ways to know about” would be more naturally expressed as “provide opportunities to learn about,” and “contribute back in the growth” is awkward. There are also spelling errors, including “institues,” “theoratical,” and “loose” where “lose” is intended. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully, especially in key topic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “who,” “where,” and “although,” and most of your meaning remains understandable. Some sentences are well controlled, such as “On the other hand, there are a few drawbacks too.” However, some grammatical errors recur. In the opening, “doing internship would benefit … and will also open” shifts awkwardly between verb forms; “One of the main advantage” has a singular/plural agreement error; and “a period of time to spent” uses the wrong verb form. Articles and sentence construction also need attention, as in “doing internship” and the long sentence beginning “For instance, China was sending its students.” Practise checking agreement, infinitives, articles, and consistent verb forms, then divide overloaded sentences where needed.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.