Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

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)

University is considered the one of last stages of gaining education before entering the professional world. Students enter universities with varying expectations about their future life and they leave with hope to make a place for themselves in the wider world.

It is obvous that universities are place to higher education but universities should also make the students ready for their professional lives. Young adults often fall into anxious state of minds as the fear of uncertain future creeps in. In order to lessen this anxiety I do think universities need to include some sort of work placements or study abroad plans in their undergraduate courses.

Speaking from my own experience, I have found the advantages of mandatory work placements such as internships quite high. My academic catalogue included a must-do internship during my last semesters. I entered into a corporate setting before finishing my studies and acquired first hand knowledge. I also learned a lot from the other employees at the office. The work placement helped me correlate my education to practical work. So that education mixed with the wisdom from the senior employees elevated my knowledge further.

Students can also learn professional communication which would help them later when they enter an actual workplace. They wouldn't be overwhelmed by the more experienced people.

As for studying abroad. it gives the students a chance to learn about another country's culture and custom. They get to meet their peers from another background and learn from mutual understandings.

It is true that these opportunities might come with a cost. Some universities might have increased tuitions to be able to include these in their syllabus. Being in a professional setting while still being a student might be disorienting for some. Their confidence might decrease when encountering people with major experience levels. Some students might not afford the cost of studying abroad though I think the university should bear the cost for this.

Even though this notion might have some disadvantages, I still think the advantages outweigh them by a long shot.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you support including placements or overseas study, and you return to this view in the conclusion. You address both benefits and drawbacks, with relevant points about practical experience, workplace communication, cultural learning, cost and confidence. The internship example from your own studies also gives the argument useful personal support. However, the two options in the prompt are not explored equally: work placements receive a specific example and several benefits, while studying abroad is covered briefly, and the disadvantages are mostly listed rather than explained. To strengthen the response, develop how overseas study benefits students’ academic or career prospects and explain how universities could reduce the financial or adjustment difficulties you identify.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: it introduces the issue, presents your position, discusses benefits and disadvantages, and concludes consistently. Paragraphs generally have clear purposes, and links such as “Speaking from my own experience,” “As for studying abroad,” and “Even though” help readers follow the argument. The progression is not fully smooth, however. The short paragraph about professional communication feels detached from the internship discussion, and the transition from work placements to overseas study is abrupt. Some connections, such as “So that education mixed with the wisdom…” are awkward, while “these opportunities” could refer more clearly to the specific options. Group related benefits together and use clearer transitions and references to make the flow more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including phrases such as “professional setting,” “first hand knowledge,” “mutual understandings,” and “uncertain future.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the response attempts some less common vocabulary. However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “academic catalogue,” “major experience levels,” and “elevated my knowledge further.” There are also spelling and form errors, such as “obvous” and “tuitions,” which reduce precision. Aim for more natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe an internship as part of your “degree programme,” and refer to colleagues with “considerably more experience” rather than “major experience levels.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses in “as the fear of uncertain future creeps in” and “when they enter an actual workplace.” Most meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems persist. Examples include “the one of last stages,” “universities are place,” and “fall into anxious state of minds,” where articles or plural forms are needed. The sentence beginning “So that education mixed with the wisdom…” is also incomplete or awkwardly connected to the previous sentence. In addition, “As for studying abroad. it gives…” has incorrect sentence punctuation and capitalization. Review articles, sentence boundaries, and how dependent clauses connect to main clauses to improve accuracy while retaining your range.

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