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)

Many undergraduate courses in former Europen communist countries had a specific amount of time expected from a student to spend at a work placement of his choosing. Of course, they had to be relevant for his field of studies.

Since the fall of the Eestern Bloc, all former communist countries have abendoned this practice and many now think that this move had negative effect on the efficiency of skilled labour and academics after their graduation. Now, in many fields of study there is a mandatory time students must spend after graduation in order to gain some expirience, which makes the process of becoming independent and beneficial part of community much slower.

Nowadays, colleges in most countries rarely have the means to afford paid practices at work placements for their students or to finance studying abroad for a certain time for all of them. Such programmes might significantly change the price of undergraduate studies in many countries which struggle with financial problems. This issue could lead to many possible students losing their ability to access education at universities of their choosing. Thus, making such programmes mandatory could make greater harm for many possible students.

Also, most of undergraduate courses are aimed to prepare students for active roles in their own societies and countries, and studying abroad might severe that connection and the way they practice learning at home universities. This might be harmful for their overall ability to finish undergraduate studies on time.

Many students continue their higher education after finishing undergraduate courses. In my opinion, this is an excellent opportunity for education abroad. On the other hand, time spent at a local work placement could be very beneficial to students and local communities, and such programmes should be among high priorities of all universities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the central issue by discussing the costs and possible educational and community benefits of placements, and your final paragraph gives a position: local work placements are valuable, while study abroad may be better pursued later. However, the response does not clearly state whether the advantages of making a period abroad or a placement compulsory would outweigh the disadvantages. The opening discussion of former communist countries is relevant, but its connection to the proposed policy could be explained more directly. Your points about university finances and access are pertinent, while the claim that studying abroad weakens students’ connection to their societies is less developed and needs an example or explanation. Make the comparison explicit and support each main reason more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for historical context, financial concerns, the effect of studying abroad, and your concluding view. This helps the reader follow the main topics. However, the overall progression is not always clear: the first two paragraphs focus on past work-placement policies, then the essay shifts to costs and social connection without clearly linking these points to the question of whether advantages outweigh disadvantages. Connectors such as “Of course,” “Thus,” and “On the other hand” are used, but some transitions feel mechanical or do not establish the precise relationship between ideas. The conclusion introduces a distinction between study abroad and local placements that could have guided the body paragraphs. Use clearer topic sentences and refer explicitly to the advantages and disadvantages being compared.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “work placement,” “skilled labour,” “mandatory,” “financial problems,” and “access education.” These choices allow you to discuss policy, employment, and university costs. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “beneficial part of community,” though some combinations are inaccurate or unnatural and occasionally make the meaning less precise. Spelling errors, including “Europen,” “Eestern,” “abendoned,” and “expirience,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe a “negative effect on” something, and use “gain experience” rather than “gain some experience” only if the context calls for it; precise, conventional phrasing will make your argument easier to follow.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the conditional structure “This issue could lead to…” and the relative clause “which makes the process…”. Most sentences communicate their main meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. In “a specific amount of time expected from a student to spend,” the infinitive construction is awkward; write “a specific period that students were expected to spend.” In “many possible students losing their ability,” the participle does not fit smoothly after “could lead to”; use “could lead to many prospective students losing access” or recast the sentence. Articles and number also need attention in phrases such as “part of community” and “most of undergraduate courses.” Continue using complex structures, while checking clause construction, articles, and plural forms.

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