Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-24

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)

There's a suggestion that in every Institution the undergraduate courses should include a certain period spent on experiencing either studying in a different country or doing a work placement. I strongly believe that this approach to UG courses comes with higher benefits and comparitively less downsides.

Studying abroad comes with an experience that a student possibly would not be able to pursue in their own country. For example, a course involving a semester to be learnt abroad, brings in a sense of responsibility in a student's life; involving skills such as maintaining your own finance, to be able to work alone and also with people from various ethnicities when needed, to be able to cook your own food, to learn a new language and many more. Similarly, a professional work culture also contributes in skill building for a students brighter future, teaching discipline, team work and other work ethics that are better to be known before stepping into the corporate world.

Admittedly, there are a few drawbacks that cannot be neglected; one such downside would be the pressure to keep up, when having this sudden change; from studying in one country to another or be it working from a classroom to a professional workspace, this may sometimes affect the mental health of a person. Moreover, this practice can also influence a student's work life balance, candidates might struggle to make time for their hobbies and extracurriculum. For example, students studying in a different country for a period of time or spending their time doing a work placement can often result in them consuming most of their time on figuring things out and to make the most of that experience, having no time for family and friends or any sort of fun activity.

To conclude with , i believe that the age of undergraduates falls generally between 18 to 22, this age is often considered to hustle, not to spend all their time on builiding their career and developing skills but controversially, most of it. With that being said i think that the advantages of this practice would certainly outweigh the disadvanatges.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction and conclusion: you believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. You address both study abroad and work placements, and give relevant benefits such as independence, financial responsibility, teamwork and preparation for professional life. You also acknowledge adjustment pressures and reduced time for hobbies and relationships. This covers the task well, while the explanation of some points remains general. For instance, the claim that placements build “work ethics” is not illustrated with a specific example, and the conclusion’s point about undergraduates needing to “hustle” does not fully explain why the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Develop one or two key ideas further with a concrete example and a clearer comparison of their importance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction states your view, separate paragraphs discuss benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion restates your position. Linking expressions such as “Similarly,” “Admittedly,” and “Moreover” help signal relationships between ideas. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear, and several sentences carry too many points at once. The benefits paragraph, for example, moves through finances, independent work, cooking and language learning in one extended list, so the main point is less prominent. The final paragraph also introduces the age range without clearly linking it to the comparison of advantages and disadvantages. Group related examples and use clearer references to show how each point supports your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “responsibility,” “ethnicities,” “professional work culture,” “mental health” and “work-life balance.” These choices allow you to discuss both personal development and possible pressures. There are also attempts at less common or formal phrasing, but some combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “a course … to be learnt abroad,” “a students brighter future,” and “extracurriculum.” Spelling errors including “comparitively,” “builiding” and “disadvanatges” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling carefully; precise, familiar wording is more effective than a formal-sounding phrase that does not fit its context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including subordinate clauses and contrast structures, as in “Admittedly, there are a few drawbacks…” and “when having this sudden change.” Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. The opening sentence has an awkward construction (“in every Institution the undergraduate courses should include”), and “a students brighter future” has incorrect possessive agreement. There are also sentence-boundary and punctuation problems: the sentence beginning “For example, a course…” is followed by a long list of infinitive phrases, while “To conclude with , i believe…” has incorrect capitalization and spacing. Work on sentence control, articles, possessives and punctuation, and revise long sentences into clearer units.

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