Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 is recently debated that all universities undergraduate courses includes a time period spent abroad or doing a work placement. From my prospective it should be done for them and its advantages must be outweigh then its disadvantages.

Firstly, if we talk about the advantages of studying abroad or doing work placement is students will learn about how to commute the other those are different from there culture, there language. So when they communicate with each other they get to know each other and it is the academic growth. Students learn to be independent, improve their language skills, and understands different cultures. This makes them more confident and global-minded. For instance, my cousin studied abroad on semester and his English and confidence improved a lot.

Furthermore, work placements provide practical experience that is essential for further employment. While university teaches theory, a job placement teaches real-world skills like teamwork, communication, and problem solving. Many students even get a job offer from the same company where they did their placement. Therefore, graduates become more employable and ready for the job market.

One the other hand, there are two main disadvantages to this requirement. Firstly, studying abroad is very expensive. Not every student can afford the flights, accommodation, and living costs in a foreign country, which may create inequality. For instance, a student from a middle-class family in Haripur may not be able to pay for a semester in the UK. Secondly, work placements can sometimes be exploitative. Some companies use interns for unpaid, low-skill work without proper training which wastes students time and effects their studies.

In conclusion, although, compulsory study abroad or work placement can be costly and sometimes poor managed, I believe its advantages, such as personal growth and better career opportunities, are much greater. Universities should try to provide scholarships and quality placement to reduce the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits of overseas study or work placements outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both sides of the question. The response gives relevant reasons, including cultural learning, independence, employability, cost, and the risk of exploitative placements. The examples about your cousin and a student from Haripur help make the discussion concrete. This meets the task well, though some points are more fully explained than others. For example, the benefits of placements are linked to employment, while the cultural-learning point is less clearly explained, particularly the claim that communicating with people from different cultures produces academic growth. To strengthen the argument, explain more precisely how each benefit or disadvantage affects students and why the advantages overall are greater.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a coherent overall structure: an introduction states your view, separate paragraphs discuss benefits and drawbacks, and the conclusion restates your position and offers a practical response. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “Furthermore,” and “On the other hand” make the main stages easy to follow. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. In the first body paragraph, the sentence beginning “So when they communicate with each other” does not clearly connect cultural interaction to “academic growth,” and the opening sentence is difficult to follow. The conclusion also begins “although” and then uses “I believe,” making the relationship between the concession and main claim awkward. Use clearer topic sentences and link each supporting explanation directly to its main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for the topic, including “independent,” “global-minded,” “practical experience,” “employable,” and “inequality.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and some phrases show an attempt to be specific. However, inaccurate word choice, collocation, and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make meaning less clear. Examples include “commute the other,” “from there culture,” “poor managed,” and “effects their studies.” “Academic growth” is also not a precise description of the cultural benefit you appear to mean. Aim for natural combinations such as “interact with people from different cultures” and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise vocabulary would make your argument clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional-style explanation of costs and a contrast between university theory and workplace skills. Most of the argument remains understandable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical control are noticeable. For example, “all universities undergraduate courses includes” has problems with possession, agreement, and verb form, while “its advantages must be outweigh” uses an incorrect verb structure. Other examples include “Students learn … and understands” and “One the other hand.” The opening sentence of the first body paragraph is also difficult to parse because its clause structure is incomplete. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, possessives, and verb patterns, and proofread punctuation around introductory phrases. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve clarity.

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