Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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)

The advantages of exposure provided to the undergarguate students by sendng them abroad for a part of their studies or providing them a practical experience; would easily outweigh the disadvantages.

Sending undergraduate students to another country can actually prove beneficial. By providing the students insights to other cultures, undergrads can learn the work ethics by actutally working with their international fellows. While working and studiying with international students, they can see how differnt situations are dealt, how environment promotes learning. Networking with international fellows can actually connects them with like-minded people. This can actually be benificial for students to acheive their academic goals in future.

In addition to spending time abroad, hands-on experience in the industry can be helpful in many ways. Actually doing tasks differs from learning them in theory. Theory may contain the steps of doing a cetrain task, for exemple, how to construct a beam in a building. But when one actually reaches the site, he/she quickly finds out that in addition to actually constructing a beam they have to deal with the client timelines and making sure that labour is actually working effeciently. the quality is to be assured by QA team. Contractor needs to provide quality material on time to side in order to complete the task. All these things are not included in beam design, but they are also important to deliver that beam on time. This only can be learnt by the students by actually going to the side and learning about tactually building the beam.

In conclusion, Spending some part of their studies abroad, and getting actual work experience, helps students in many ways for acheiving their academic and professional goals. Experience teaches them actaul work process. While studiying abroad can provide real insight about the work ethics and proviodes networking oppertunities for the students, which can be advantageous for a successful academic and professional life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the opening: you believe the benefits of overseas study and work placements outweigh the disadvantages. You address both options and give relevant support, especially the construction-site example showing how practical work involves deadlines, clients, labour and quality control beyond theoretical learning. However, the discussion is weighted toward benefits, with little explanation of what the disadvantages might be or why the advantages outweigh them. The point about cultural insight and networking is relevant but remains general; a specific example of how these experiences improve students’ academic or career outcomes would develop it further. To strengthen the response, briefly acknowledge a drawback, such as cost or disruption, and explain why the benefits are more significant.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an opening position, separate paragraphs on international study and work experience, and a conclusion that restates the main view. The progression from cultural exposure to practical learning is easy to follow, and phrases such as “In addition” help signal the shift between ideas. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent arrangement and also shows some stronger control through purposeful paragraphing. However, links within the longer construction example are sometimes mechanical, with repeated “actually” and several successive details that could be grouped more clearly. The conclusion largely repeats earlier points rather than drawing them together. Use more varied referencing and transitions, and make the relationship between each example and the overall comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “work ethics,” “networking,” “hands-on experience,” “industry,” and “professional goals.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the construction example includes useful subject-specific terms such as “contractor” and “QA team.” However, the range is limited by repeated wording, particularly “actually,” “students,” and “experience,” and some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “insights to other cultures,” “client timelines,” and “going to the side.” Spelling errors are also noticeable, including “undergrarguate,” “effeciently,” and “oppertunities.” These issues do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the conditional structure “when one actually reaches the site” and the contrast between theory and practical work. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “Networking with international fellows can actually connects” has incorrect verb agreement after “can,” while “how differnt situations are dealt” lacks a necessary completion such as “with.” The opening sentence is also awkwardly punctuated, with a semicolon separating a subject phrase from its main verb. In the construction paragraph, sentence boundaries and capitalisation are inconsistent, as in “effeciently. the quality.” Work on modal verb patterns, complete clause structures, and punctuation between sentences. More accurate control of these forms would make your complex ideas easier to read.

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.