Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-19

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)

Courses offered by universities during the undergraduate period equip students with necessary theoretical knowledge and skills. But some people think, it should also include studying in other nations or internships or training. I think this is a good initiative as it will provide more benefits such as professional experience and cultural adaptability, than disadvantages such as increased study period and additional expenditure.

During an undergraduate study, a student gets to learn about the theoretical basis of their major. For some majors, practical studies are also included to further strengthen the understanding of the theory. However, the studies that are usually taught only mention of the practical applications of the specific covered topics. The actual usage of the skills achieved are usually left out. As a result, students suffer in their post graduation life. If a mandatory time-period is kept for studying abroad or job placements, the students will gain the neccessary skills and abilities to be more successful in the latter stages of life. For example, internships offered by various companies provide in-depth training of the responsibilities of each sectors. This will make aspirants get a taste of corporate life and be more attuned to the happenings of a professional workplace. Not only that, a foreign environment comes bundled in with new cultures that differ through social norms, behaviours and looks. The varying features can help new-timers to be more understanding and adaptive of other cultures.

Although, some think that this initiative can increase the time taken for completing a undergraduate degree. Because, abroad study or internships take a lot of time to complete. Also, there remains additional cost taken to pursue such endeavours. For example, for studying abroad, an applicant requires visa access and other documents. These documents usually take a lot time to get approved and expensive.

Overall, I think a period of time should be set for abroad study or job oppurtunities for increased professional experience and exposure to different cultures

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you support including overseas study or placements because of professional experience and cultural adaptability, despite added time and cost. You address both sides and give relevant examples, such as company internships and visa arrangements. This covers the task well, but the advantages are developed more fully than the disadvantages. The discussion of cost and delay is brief, and the visa example explains paperwork more than the overall impact of these drawbacks. The claim that students “suffer in their post graduation life” is also broad and would be stronger with a specific consequence or example. To strengthen the response further, explain why the benefits outweigh the costs and support each main point with more precise detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a developed paragraph on benefits, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a concluding position. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “As a result,” “For example,” and “Not only that” help show relationships. However, some transitions feel mechanical or awkward, particularly “Although, some think” and the sentence beginning “Because,” which is not smoothly connected to the preceding idea. The benefits paragraph also moves from practical skills to cultural adaptability without a clear signpost that this is a second distinct advantage. Use more natural transitions and clearer topic sentences, and ensure each paragraph develops one main line of reasoning. This would make the progression more consistently easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “theoretical knowledge,” “practical applications,” “professional workplace,” and “cultural adaptability.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions show an effort to be precise. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the actual usage of the skills achieved,” “a taste of corporate life,” and “additional cost taken to pursue such endeavours.” There are also spelling errors, including “neccessary” and “oppurtunities,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural academic phrasing and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe students as gaining “practical experience” and refer to “the additional costs involved” rather than using less idiomatic combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional phrasing (“If a mandatory time-period is kept…”) and a contrastive clause introduced by “Although.” Most of the meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “some people think, it should” has incorrect punctuation between the reporting verb and clause; “a undergraduate degree” needs the correct article; and “Because, abroad study or internships take…” is an incomplete sentence. There are also agreement and number issues in “responsibilities of each sectors.” Work on articles, singular and plural agreement, and complete sentence construction. Combining the fragment about time with the previous sentence would improve accuracy while preserving your attempt at complex sentences.

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