Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-01

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)

Some people argue that, it is vital for all undergraduate courses to include work placement or international student exchange program. I agree with this notion because the advantages of mixed study of theory and practical experience outweighs just theoratical lectures.

Often times lectures are theoratical and not practical enough to prepare students for realtime situations. There are particular circumstances that a hands on approach can bring to light and will bring great teachable moments. For example when unversity students that are enrolled in a teaching course and are learning about classroom management realtime scenario may not unfold the way its been mentioned in the text book, as a result guidance from a mentor will prove fruitfull. Having students paired with experienced experts who guide them in their practice of the profession they are learning about will give the students a clear picture of what is expected of them. With the help of the mentor unversity students can try different strategies and approaches whilst they receive realtime feedback.

Equally spending time abroad studying is a rewarding experience as the students will be able to learn and absorb different types of learning and culture. Having that exposure of a different country and way of life will help students broaden their knowledge and implement new ideas that would have been motivated by the exposure.

Most organizations prefer students that have gone through a work placement during their course of study as they have practical experience compared to those that did not have that chance.I strongly believe that most of the content taught in the classroom is far from what really transpires in the day to day runnings of the organisation and as such just having a course outline with no real practicum will be a deservice to the students and the organisations that will employ them.

One of the main disadvantage is that the time allocated to work placement is too short and no much ground is covered during this period. That being said, the advantages of having students experience work placements or study abroad outweighs the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you support including practical placements or study abroad, and you return to this view in the conclusion. You address both options and give relevant support, especially the teaching-course example, where a mentor can help students respond to real classroom situations. The point about employers valuing placement experience also strengthens your case. However, the disadvantages are only briefly addressed: you mention that placements may be too short, but do not explain the consequences or consider possible drawbacks of studying abroad. The study-abroad benefit is also less developed than the placement argument. To make the response more complete, explain these points and compare their significance directly with the benefits.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, paragraphs developing practical experience and study abroad, a further employment-related point, and a concluding comparison. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “For example,” “Equally,” and “That being said” help guide the reader. The teaching example is particularly easy to follow. Some connections are less smooth, however: the paragraph beginning “Most organizations prefer students” shifts back to work placements after the study-abroad paragraph without a clear transition, and the final disadvantage is introduced abruptly. There are also long sentences that make relationships between ideas harder to track. Use clearer topic sentences and more precise referencing to connect each paragraph to the central comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “hands on approach,” “mentor,” “practical experience,” and “broaden their knowledge.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and some topic-specific language adds useful detail. However, several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “theoratical,” “unversity,” “fruitfull,” and “deservice.” Some phrases are also awkward or imprecise, such as “mixed study of theory and practical experience” and “different types of learning and culture.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, for example, “combine theoretical study with practical experience” and “different educational approaches and cultures.” This would make your argument clearer and more polished.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses of reason and result, as in “as a result guidance from a mentor will prove fruitfull.” The meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain and occasionally make sentences difficult to process. For example, “the advantages … outweighs” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “when unversity students that are enrolled” uses an awkward relative-clause structure. In “Most organizations prefer students … chance.I strongly believe,” a sentence boundary and spacing are missing. There are also issues with articles, plurals, and punctuation in longer sentences. Review agreement and sentence boundaries, and divide lengthy examples into shorter, controlled sentences while continuing to use complex structures.

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