Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

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)

Many universities offers internship opportunity or spending a semester in a foreign university for their undergraduate students. Several universities encourage their students to experience different culture and workplaces during their undergraduation, although it is not mainstream yet. But students can get culture shock as well as living expenses might be a crucial factor for living in a foreign country.

The first benefit that a student gets by going to abroad for education is his contact with a new cultural setting. Secondly, it helps him to learn new things, build rapport with new people and he can achieve some valuable lifeskills by living alone. Knowlege becomes power when it is shared with others, thus a student have the opportunity to learn from the scholars from those universities too. Also, doing a workplacement during undergraduation presents a glimpse of how an individual works and communicates in a workplace in a regular basis. It also boosts confidence and helps to get a real-life experience before entering in a professional life.

Although it is beneficial for a person in many ways, it has disadvantages too. Going abroad for study is quite costly without being awarded any sort of scholarship and majority of the student have to pay their own living costs. For this reason, the underprivileged students cannot afford this, those who comes from a wealthy family utilize these opportunities mostly. Also, the students may have to face cultural shocks regarding food habits, clothings as well as the way of communications. Even in an internship, students might feel isolated and alienated as it is a short period of time for building rapport, sometimes many introverts hesitate to ask for help if they feel any challenges too.

To sum up, I believe that in both cases proper utilization of the oppoprtunities matter the most. The advantages overshadow the disadvantages, from my perspectives. However, it should be an option for the students, it is upto them if they want to choose or not. But it would be beneficial for those who have confidence on themselves and can tackle any situations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both the benefits and drawbacks and state a clear overall view: “The advantages overshadow the disadvantages.” Relevant benefits include cultural exposure, learning from scholars, workplace experience and confidence; you also explain financial barriers and possible isolation. This covers the task, but some points are more fully developed than others. For example, the cost and unequal access are explained, while the claim that students gain “valuable lifeskills” and the final condition that they should be confident are not supported with specific examples or reasoning. Your conclusion also shifts towards saying participation “should be an option,” which slightly qualifies your position without explaining how this fits with the proposal that all courses include a placement or overseas study. Clarifying that distinction and extending a few ideas would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “The first benefit,” “Although,” and “To sum up” help readers recognise the stages of your argument. This meets the lower-band expectations securely and shows some stronger control through the logical grouping of related points. However, several transitions feel formulaic, and some links between ideas are abrupt: the statement about knowledge being shared moves quickly from cultural learning to scholars without explaining the connection. The conclusion’s move from saying the advantages outweigh the disadvantages to recommending that participation be optional also weakens the final progression. Use more precise referencing and explain how each supporting point connects to your main position.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “cultural setting,” “living costs,” “isolated and alienated,” and “real-life experience.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and attempts at less common expressions show some range. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “going to abroad,” “undergraduation,” “in a regular basis,” and “entering in a professional life.” There are also spelling errors, including “Knowlege” and “oppoprtunities,” and some imprecise phrasing, such as “proper utilization of the opportunities.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Focus on standard academic collocations and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses beginning “Although” and “if,” and most of your meaning remains clear. Some sentences are controlled, such as “Going abroad for study is quite costly without being awarded any sort of scholarship.” However, some grammatical errors recur. Subject–verb agreement is incorrect in “Many universities offers” and “a student have”; articles and plurals are also inconsistent in “majority of the student.” Other examples include “those who comes” and the awkward construction “it is upto them if they want to choose or not.” These errors rarely block communication, but they reduce accuracy. Review agreement, article use and sentence patterns, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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