Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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)

It is debatable that all university undergraduate courses should include a time frame of learning skiils through job experience or studying in other country in different environment. Both of these options are important as studying abroad can help in building confidence and gaining extra knowledge but, a work placement provides better opportunity for future through practical implementaion of knowledge and learning new skills.

Everyone wants to study abroad as they feel it can help them in better understanding of their field through experiencing a different study environment which can help in their confidence building between people of different culture, caste and creed. For instance, if a person from a third world country like Bangladesh has a lack of confidence in socail setting though he is good at studies studies courses in other country, will help him to focus on himself and gain his confidence due to positive social pressure and good environment.

But, considering working in any industry or organization will have far better outcomes for future as it leads to skill building and promotes professionalism. Job placement can lead to better growth. For example, if a student of undergraduate in chemistry gets a chance to work with an industry related to his field, what will he learn there? This is the absolute answer that he will experience the practical implementation of chemistry that will improve his skills as well as help him securing a good job in the future through his practical experience.

Overall, there is no doubt that studying abroad will help gaining knowledge and confidence but job placement is a uch better option for undergrduate courses as it is more beneficial for the future of the students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both study abroad and work placements, and your conclusion gives a clear preference for placements, supported by the chemistry-industry example. However, the response only partly answers the central question of whether the advantages of making either option compulsory would outweigh the disadvantages. The opening lists benefits, but the essay does not explain meaningful disadvantages or compare the overall balance of advantages and disadvantages. The study-abroad example is also difficult to follow and its relevance to all undergraduate courses is not fully established. To strengthen the response, state your position on the outweigh question directly, then develop a balanced comparison with specific explanations of who might be disadvantaged and why the benefits are greater or smaller.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs on studying abroad and work placement, and a concluding preference. Transitions such as “For instance,” “But,” and “Overall” help readers follow the main stages, and the chemistry example is placed logically within the work-placement paragraph. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some movement towards more flexible progression. However, the contrast introduced by “But” does not fully compare advantages with disadvantages, and the long study-abroad example is hard to track because its clauses are crowded together. Some links between claims are asserted rather than explained. Make each paragraph’s main point explicit and use clearer references and transitions to show how each example supports your overall judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “work placement,” “practical implementation,” “professionalism,” and “social pressure,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “better outcomes for future.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “time frame of learning skills,” “confidence building between people,” and “practical implementation of chemistry.” Spelling errors such as “skiils,” “socail,” and “undergrduate” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim for natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe gaining confidence through interaction with people from different cultures, rather than using “confidence building between people.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional example beginning “if a person from a third world country…” and a relative clause describing a different study environment. These attempts show some range, but complex sentences are often difficult to control. In the study-abroad example, the subject and verb relationship becomes unclear, and “a student of undergraduate in chemistry gets a chance” has an awkward grammatical construction. There are also errors with articles and forms, as in “in other country,” and the final sentence contains “will help gaining” rather than “will help to gain” or “will help with gaining.” Use shorter sentences when an idea becomes complicated, and check that each clause has a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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