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)

Nowadays, it is often argued that pupils should required to study in foreign country or gain practical experience through work placement as part of their degree, although this may create some difficulties. But i belive that its benefits are greater because it help students develop practical skills and learn about diiferent cultures.

On the one hand, There are severa advamtages of studying abroad. Firstly, pupils can gain valuable knowledge and experiecne. For example, those who study aborad can learn about different culture, improve their language skills and become independent. They can learn from international teacher and brodern their understanding about their majors. Secondly, through work placment they can gain communication sklls before their graduation. For instance, a business student can learn how to deal with his clients and grab a projects. Furthermore, workplacment in foreign countries can build a stong CV, where they can easily get a job in major companies with higher salary.

However, some pupils may find it difficult to live in another country becuase they need to pay for basic nessities such as accomdation rent, bill payment and train pass. This may create some difficulties, especially for students with low income background. Many of them may not to addopt new environment and become stressed. In addition, some students can not find a work because they dont known anyone who can help them to find work. Therefore, university could reduce these problems by offering local work placement and fincanail support.

In conclusion, although, compulsory placements may cause finacial and personal difficuties. Bur i belive that it help pupils to upgrade their knowledge and they learn about differnt cultues.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you believe the benefits of placements outweigh the difficulties, and you address both advantages and disadvantages. The examples about language learning, independence, client communication and the costs faced by students are relevant to the question. This meets the task well, but the support is uneven: the claim that placements lead to jobs at major companies with higher salaries is asserted rather than explained, and the disadvantages are listed more than explored. Your final paragraph restates your view but could more directly weigh the benefits against the costs and explain why the benefits are greater. Develop one or two examples in more detail to make the comparison more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “However,” and “In addition” helps readers follow the main stages of the argument. This is a coherent arrangement, though some linking is mechanical and a few connections between ideas are not fully clear. For example, the move from communication skills to a stronger CV and higher salary would benefit from an explanation of how one leads to the next. The conclusion also repeats the main position without drawing the comparison together. Use linking phrases selectively and make the relationship between each supporting point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “practical experience,” “independent,” “communication skills,” and “financial support.” These choices allow you to communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and several spelling errors make the writing less fluent to read, such as “experiecne,” “placment,” “accomdation,” and “fincanail.” Some word combinations are also unnatural, including “grab a projects” and “international teacher.” Aim to learn vocabulary in accurate phrases, for example, “secure a project” or “international lecturers,” and proofread spelling carefully. More precise terms for costs, employment and cultural adjustment would help you express the argument with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a concession in the introduction and a reason clause in “because they need to pay for basic necessities.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction recur. Examples include “pupils should required” instead of “should be required,” “it help students” instead of “it helps students,” and “Many of them may not to adapt.” There are also punctuation and capitalization slips, such as “On the one hand, There.” These errors sometimes interrupt the flow, although the overall meaning remains accessible. Practise checking each sentence for a complete verb phrase and subject–verb agreement, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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.