Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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, the undergraduate courses are just limited to the inside of the university with little to no practical experience. For many people, they think that the undergraduate studies must include a period of time in which students come out of their comfort zone and spend time studying abroad or gaining practical experience. However, there are both pros and cons to deciding to do this. In this essay, I will discuss some of the reasons why there should be some changes in the courses structure and some of the challenges to overcome.

Let's begin by looking at some of the advantages of having courses involving studying abroad or doing work placement. One of the main positives is that an international experience in one's own subject has much value and expands a student horizons while gaining practical experience also counts as much. For instance, a student will feel more confident in finding a job and doing his work.

Turning to the other side of the argument, this may lead to a little disturbance in the student life. To be more precise, as these both situations will allow the students to spend time outside of university. The university faculty and parents can't keep check on them what they are doing outside or what type of people they are meeting. Let's say they do studying abroad for a while they will have to figure things on their own and they may meet people they are not supposed to met. Consequently, they may fall a prey to bad things as they are not that mature enough.

All things considered, these courses should or shouldn't include studying abroad or doing a work placement. You need to weigh up the pros such as increasing knowledge and gaining practical experience and cons of not being able to keep an eye on students. Personally, I believe the benefits on terms of giving the students a practical exposure of the world outweighs any negatives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both the benefits and drawbacks and give a clear final view that the benefits outweigh the negatives. The points about international exposure, practical experience and confidence in finding work are relevant, but they are only briefly explained; for example, you do not show how a placement develops job-related skills or provide a specific example. The concern about students meeting unsuitable people is also asserted rather than supported, and it does not fully consider how universities could manage student safety. The introduction says you will discuss changes and challenges, but the essay does not develop a sufficiently clear, consistent argument about whether this should be required for every undergraduate. Develop each main point with explanation and an example, and make your position explicit from the beginning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “Let's begin by looking” and “Turning to the other side” make the direction easy to follow, and the final paragraph returns to the central comparison. This coherent overall arrangement is a strength. However, some links are mechanical, and the reasoning within paragraphs is not always clearly connected. For instance, the move from studying abroad to parents being unable to monitor students needs a clearer explanation, while “these courses should or shouldn't include” weakens the conclusion’s progression. Use more precise referencing and connect each example directly to the point it supports; avoid formulaic transitions where a clear logical link would work better.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “practical experience,” “international experience,” “comfort zone” and “outweighs.” There is also some attempt to vary expression through phrases such as “main positives” and “the other side of the argument.” However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations sound unnatural, which reduces precision: “a student horizons,” “counts as much,” “keep check on them,” and “fall a prey to bad things” are examples. Some wording is also vague, such as “disturbance” and “bad things.” Aim for more accurate academic collocations and specific terms, such as “broaden students’ horizons,” “monitor students,” and “potential risks.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrastive opening with “However” and a conditional example beginning “Let's say.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms recur. For example, “For many people, they think” has an unnecessary subject, “a student horizons” has incorrect possessive agreement, and “they may meet people they are not supposed to met” uses the wrong verb form. The sentence beginning “To be more precise” is also incomplete, and “the benefits … outweighs” has a subject–verb agreement error. Practise building complete sentences, checking agreement and verb forms, and proofreading articles and possessives. More accurate control of these structures would make your argument easier to follow.

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