Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-20

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)

The issue of whether to include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement in all undergraduate courses is highly debated. This proposal has some advantages such as giving young people an experience of the real working environment and helps to improve their communication and interactive skills. Although it has some drawbacks such as an increase in school fee and too much exposure at an early age, I believe the advantages outweigh the setbacks.

On the one hand, It is important to have an experience of the real working environment. Ongoing students should spend some of their studying time in areas similar to the content they are learning in school. For example, in Kenya, all university degree courses have a semester set aside for attachment where each student is sent to an organisation to interact with the real working process. This gives them a reality of what they study in campus. Furthermore, this helps to improve their communication and interactive skills. Students are given real projects to work on in their work placement. Therefore they are able to solve them and in the process they improve their skills and get motivated about the career they are studying for.

On the other hand, this development can lead to an increase in school fee. This can lead to a strain on parents as some struggle to raise the existing amount to cater for their students education. In addition, young people will be exposed to the outside world at a younger stage. Some may feel the pressure at work places is to much and can lead to some dropping out of school before graduating. Consequently, the rates of unemployed youths will be on the rise.

In conclusion, including a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement in undergraduate courses is quite beneficial as it gives learners an experience of the real working environment and helps to strengthen their communication skills. Although there are some drawbacks like raising the school fee and too much exposure, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by far.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. You address both sides and support the benefits with the Kenyan attachment example, explaining how workplace experience can connect study with employment and develop communication skills. This relevant support helps make the argument convincing. However, some points are less fully developed: the claim that placements improve skills and motivation is asserted rather than illustrated, while the concern about early exposure leading to students dropping out and youth unemployment needs a clearer explanation of how likely or direct this consequence is. To strengthen the response, extend these points with specific reasoning or examples and explain why the benefits outweigh the costs for different students.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion that restates your position. The progression within the main paragraphs is generally logical, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “Furthermore,” and “Consequently” help readers follow the argument. This gives the essay a coherent foundation. Some links, however, are mechanical or repetitive: “This gives them” and “This can lead” rely on broad references, and “Therefore” introduces a result without fully showing the connection between projects and improved skills. Use more precise referencing and vary how you connect explanations and examples. Developing each paragraph around a clear claim followed by explanation and evidence would make the progression more consistently smooth.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to discuss education, employment, and costs, including “real working environment,” “work placement,” “strain on parents,” and “unemployed youths.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and some topic-specific language is appropriate. However, the range and precision are uneven, with several awkward or repetitive expressions: “communication and interactive skills,” “a reality of what they study,” and “too much exposure” do not express the intended ideas naturally. “School fee” is also imprecise when referring to the overall cost of education. Aim for more accurate collocations and avoid repeating the same phrases in the introduction and conclusion. More precise wording would make the argument clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “Although,” “as,” and “where,” and most of the meaning remains clear. There are some errors in sentence construction and punctuation, however. In the introduction, “advantages such as giving … and helps” does not maintain a parallel grammatical form; use “giving … and helping.” The sentence beginning “Ongoing students should spend” also has an unclear construction, and “each student is sent” shifts into the passive without a clear need. Capitalisation and punctuation need attention in “On the one hand, It” and “to much.” Review agreement, parallel structures, and sentence boundaries, while continuing to use complex clauses. Greater control of these forms would make the writing more accurate.

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.