Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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 7.0)

I think one's academic career is dependant on the amount of exposure one gets throughout the time of their study. More exposure leads to more experience and consequently, a better understanding of what the world of work would look like for oneself. While the theoretical side of one's studies is a profound aspect of academics, practical experience is what solidifies one's understaning and leads to them becoming a better professional later in life.

Advantages of a work placement include exposure to working as a team with colleagues as well as facing the real world, which better prepares one for the future. Studying abroad further broadens the length and versatility of the exposure one can get, pushing students to face a completely different environment. This would lead to more insight into workplaces worldwide, highlighting to students, the broad and ever-changing nature of workplaces. It would also push students to have long and perhaps challenging conversations with people of different backgrounds, and they would've been taught in a different setting so students would be able to learn from their experiences as well and I think, being liberal about your approach to learning and consuming information as well as learning from others, is hugely beneficial for students.

On the other hand, this could have potential disadvantages as well. For example, undergraduate students are used to mostly academic and theoretical work and sudden exposure to placements and the world of work might take a toll on their mental health. There could also be financial discrepancies where some students might be able to afford the placament and some might struggle to fund it. This could lead to inequality within the university and demotivate some students from working to their best potential. It could also dishearten some students which is not ideal for their academic progression. Another disadvantage could be that 'studying abroad' might not be as beneficial because the dinamics of a workplace abroad might not be the same as they are in a student's home country so it might not be entirely good for the student.

Overall, I think the advantages indeed outweigh the disadvantages because while stepping out of one's comfort zone can be challenging, a work placement gives the correct amount of exposure and helps deepen the understanding of the course the student is doing, and things like financial issues can be solved through bursaries or compensations. My opinion is further validated by the fact that i spent a week at a placement for the subjects i will be applying to at university and that placement gave me a deeper understanding of the subjects then any amount of research i had done or perhaps could have done.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both work placements and studying abroad. The advantages are supported with relevant explanations, such as how practical experience can deepen understanding and prepare students for employment; your own placement experience adds a useful personal example. You also identify plausible concerns about mental health, affordability and differences between overseas workplaces. These points meet the task well, though some are developed more fully than others. For instance, the financial concern is answered briefly with bursaries, while the claim that overseas workplace dynamics may be less beneficial is not explored or resolved. Develop each counterargument and explain more precisely why the benefits still predominate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction establishes your view, the next paragraphs consider benefits and drawbacks, and the conclusion restates your position. Paragraphing is appropriate, and transitions such as “On the other hand” and “Overall” help signal the argument’s stages. Within the advantages paragraph, however, several ideas are joined into a long sequence, particularly the discussion of different backgrounds, learning settings and openness to information. This makes the relationships between points less easy to follow. Some references are also broad, as in “This would lead to more insight,” where the precise idea being referred to could be clearer. Separate the main benefits into more focused sentences and use explicit links to show how each example supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of topic vocabulary, including “practical experience,” “theoretical,” “work placement,” “financial discrepancies” and “academic progression.” Phrases such as “step out of one’s comfort zone” and “deepen the understanding” help express your argument beyond basic vocabulary. However, some word choices and collocations are imprecise or awkward, including “the length and versatility of the exposure,” “correct amount of exposure” and “compensations” in the context of financial support. Spelling slips such as “understaning,” “placament” and “dinamics” also reduce accuracy. To strengthen this area, choose more natural collocations—for example, “breadth of experience” or “financial assistance”—and proofread carefully for spelling and word form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including complex clauses with “While,” “because” and “which,” and many sentences communicate your meaning clearly. There is some control of longer structures, but a few sentences become difficult to manage, especially the sentence beginning “It would also push students to have long…” where clauses are joined without clear punctuation and the subject shifts between “it” and “students.” There are also errors in grammatical form and punctuation, such as “the subjects then any amount of research” and the lowercase “i” in the final paragraph. Review sentence boundaries, maintain clear subjects in extended sentences, and check comparative structures and punctuation. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make your argument easier to read.

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