Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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 6.5)

The undergraduate courses offered in universities should be encouraged to include a semester exchange program or a work placement in different abroad universities.In my opinion the advantages of studying abroad for a short term outweigh the disadvantages.

There are numerous advantages of studying or working overseas. The students not only get a global exposure to the country's diverse culture but also get an access to the world-class educational resources. The high class teaching methods and the advanced laboratories and technologies would benefit students in a long run.The vast libraries, cultural fests,international students get-together events will connect the students and help them in networking across the globe.Via work placements, students would get an opportunity towards practical exposure, learn more about the work-life balance and professional ethics followed in other countries. If they are sent to a non-english speaking countries like Germany, they would face a wide range of exposure to the language and the culture which is significant for the betterment of students,thereby eventually shaping their lives.

On the other hand there are various drawbacks of studying abroad. One of them is the cost of living abroad would burden the parents even though if its for a short duration.The flight charges, accomodation and living expenses would cost a fortune. The parents tend to take education loan and that would build up more in future if they are unable to repay back.Certain students would also feel homesick and lonely when they are too attached to their home or parents.Some would also face brutal racism which would shatter their confidence.Especially in the european countries where they following anti-immigration policies.

In conclusion, despite having disadvantages like high costs,and other social drawbacks the advantages such as the provision of world class infrastructure of the universities, the best teaching methods, and the global exposure would definetily outweigh them and I firmly believe that students should be genuinely sent abroad for their own good and better life opportunites in terms of their career and academic,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction—“the advantages … outweigh the disadvantages”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both sides of the question, with relevant benefits such as access to educational resources, cultural exposure and practical work experience, balanced against expense, homesickness and racism. These ideas are extended with some explanation, particularly the link between placements and professional ethics. However, several claims remain broad: for example, “world-class educational resources” and “brutal racism” are asserted without a specific example or fuller explanation. The discussion also focuses mainly on studying abroad, while the task equally allows work placements. Develop one or two points with concrete examples and give the two options more balanced attention.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting advantages, a contrasting paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from benefits to drawbacks is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help orient the reader. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall arrangement and shows some stronger control through the paragraph-level organisation. However, connections within paragraphs can feel list-like, especially the sequence of resources, events and networking benefits. Some linking and referencing are also awkward, as in “If they are sent…” and “that would build up more,” where the referent is not fully clear. Group related points and use more precise links to show cause, contrast and consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “work placement,” “professional ethics,” “homesick,” and “anti-immigration policies.” These choices help communicate relevant ideas, and attempts at less common expressions show ambition. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “get a global exposure,” “get an access,” “a wide range of exposure,” and “build up more” do not express the intended meanings naturally. There are also spelling errors, including “accomodation” and “definetily,” and inconsistent capitalisation of “English.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision. Aim for natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully; prefer clear, accurate phrasing over elaborate expressions that are not fully controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including the paired construction “not only … but also” and a conditional sentence beginning “If they are sent…”. The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include missing or incorrect articles and prepositions in “get an access” and “in a long run,” and agreement problems in “countries where they following anti-immigration policies.” The sentence beginning “Especially in the european countries” is a fragment, while the final sentence ends with an incomplete construction after “academic.” Punctuation and spacing around sentence boundaries are also inconsistent. Work on complete sentence formation, subject–verb structure and article use, then proofread long sentences by checking that each has a clear main clause.

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