Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

It has been a long debate that every university undergraduate courses must include a duration spent studying abroad or working for placement. This is because certain people beleive that international exposoure will develop some technical skills to students and focusing on placement will benefit them in their carear.

In my opinion advantages would outweigh the disadvantages of this, because it will help them understand international education system and will also play a role in their future by providing them essential skills before entering a job or any other role while simuntaneously it will consume their time and in some cases it may pressurize the students.

Firstly spending time studying abroad will develop a better understanding in students, when i came to know about schooling in USA I was surprised that they are focusing on skills more than marks or grades while in my country achieving good marks is the only target for a student. Additionally working on placement will help them, it will help them acquire the required skill-set which will eventually help them during their new journey wheather it is as a employee, employer or social worker.

However it may create a extra burden on undergarduates to compete with the international students and may create a sense of insecurity in them. Also working for placements and not getting placed because there are not enough oppurtunity for them, so in this ways these can be demotivating.

Concluding this I can say the advantages of studying abroad and working on placement outweighs the disadvantages. The students will get a lot of exposure and real world experience outside their personal space, which will help them to develop more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both study abroad and work placements. The points about learning from different education systems and gaining practical skills are relevant; your comparison between schooling in the USA and your own country gives one idea a personal example. You also acknowledge possible pressure and disappointment if students do not secure placements. This covers the task well, but the support is uneven: the disadvantages are mentioned briefly, and the claim that students may feel insecure when competing internationally is not explained. To strengthen the response, develop each main point with a clearer cause-and-effect explanation or a specific example, and make the comparison of benefits and drawbacks more explicit in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, a paragraph on drawbacks, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “However,” and “Concluding this” help signal the direction of the argument. The progression is generally understandable, but some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Additionally working on placement will help them, it will help them acquire…” repeats the same point, while “Also working for placements and not getting placed…” is not smoothly connected to the preceding sentence. Some references, such as “this” and “these,” could also identify their meaning more precisely. Use fewer repeated transitions and connect each supporting explanation directly to the claim it develops.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “international education system,” “technical skills,” “skill-set,” and “real world experience,” so the main ideas are generally clear. There are also attempts to express more specific concepts, such as “sense of insecurity” and “demotivating.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural combinations are noticeable, including “beleive,” “exposoure,” “carear,” “working for placement,” and “not enough oppurtunity.” Some wording is also repetitive, particularly “help them,” and “personal space” does not clearly convey the intended idea of experience beyond familiar surroundings. Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, and vary repeated phrases with precise alternatives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “while,” and “when,” and the overall meaning can usually be followed. Some sentence structures, however, are faulty or incomplete. For example, “Also working for placements and not getting placed because there are not enough…” lacks a complete main clause, and the opening “It has been a long debate that every university undergraduate courses must include…” is not grammatically well formed. There are also errors in agreement and articles, as in “advantages … outweighs” and “a extra burden,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation of “I.” Practise building complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation, especially when joining several ideas.

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.