Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some university students want to learn about other subjects in addition to their main subjects. Others believe it is more important to give all their time and attention to studying for a qualification. Discuss both these views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Having knowledge about different subjects can broaden our perspective but to master a subject one must give their undevided attention to it.

In schools people are bound to study a few specific subjects, often they cannot choose their desired subjects here. But in college, the scenario is different, students here usually choose a subject they want to major in and they study that subject for four years. College also gives one freedom to choose multiple minors too. Students are often confused about their major. Many student chooses these minors just to understand that, if they want to switch their major to it. On the other hand, some students genuinly like exploring different fields, so they also take some minors along side their major. But here comes the contradiction, if a student want t o excel in their field, he must give it a lot of time. He must go into the depth of the subject and understand it.

If one takes too many minors that are very different from their major, they might not be able to give one subject a good amount of time. There's a proverb saying, jack of all trades master of none. Simillar situation might occur here. But again, students need to gain various kind of knowledge to prosper in their life, they cannot just stick to one subject . To broaden their view in life they need to see it prof different perspective.

I graduated college majoring in Software Engineering. I had no minors, I only studied software engineering for four years in college. Because of that, I have very little knowledge about other subjects and paths. Where as one of my friend, who also majored in software engineering, took a minor in biology in college. Later she graduated with a few papers in different journals on how to combine IT with biology and stuff. As she studied different subjects, she was able to find her niche, where I was only stucked in Software Engineering. But again, I was able to give it my all and was able to go in depth.

So, lastly I will say, each come with it's own pros and cons, but I think studying various subjects in university gives a student more diverese knowledge and opportunities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both views: the benefits of exploring other subjects and the risk that this may reduce time for a main qualification. Your final position—that studying different subjects offers broader knowledge and opportunities—is clear, and the example comparing your own experience with your friend’s biology minor makes the discussion relevant. However, the first view is developed more fully through the personal example, while the case for concentrating on a qualification relies mainly on the proverb about being a “jack of all trades.” Explain more specifically how focused study can improve expertise or career prospects, and connect the examples more directly to your overall judgement. This would make the treatment of both sides more balanced and fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it introduces the contrast, considers the two views, gives a personal example, and ends with an opinion. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand,” “But again,” and “So, lastly” help signal shifts in the discussion. However, some transitions feel mechanical or unclear, and the second paragraph moves quickly from the proverb to the value of broad knowledge without clearly explaining the relationship between those points. The long second paragraph also combines several distinct ideas, while the personal example would be easier to follow if separated into its own paragraph. Use clearer topic sentences and more precise references to show how each example supports the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including phrases such as “broaden our perspective,” “major,” “minors,” “excel,” and “find their niche.” These choices help communicate the contrast between depth and breadth of study. There are also attempts at less common expressions, but some are inaccurate or informal: “different kind of knowledge,” “stuck in Software Engineering,” and “and stuff” are not precise or suitably academic in context. Spelling errors such as “undevided,” “genuinly,” “Simillar,” and “diverese” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more consistent academic phrasing and check spelling carefully; this would make your vocabulary more precise and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional structures such as “If one takes too many minors… they might not be able to…” and a relative clause in “one of my friend, who also majored…”. Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “Many student chooses” has a number-agreement error, and “if a student want… he must” does not maintain agreement. The sentence beginning “But here comes the contradiction” also contains a broken phrase (“want t o excel”), while “each come with it's own pros and cons” has agreement and apostrophe errors. Review subject–verb agreement, pronoun consistency, and sentence boundaries, while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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