Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-22

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)

People have different views about whether students should learn non-academic subjects as well as academic subjects or it is essential to provide all their time and attention only for academic purpose.

While there are some drawbacks of learning other subjects with academic books, I strongly believe that it will allow students to broaden their knowledge.

There are number of reasons why reading non-academic books is important to a student. One possible reason is that by reading non-academic subjects students can enrich their knowledge. They can get any idea about the world which will be very essential for them. I think that every student should read foreign affairs to know the world politics. It will help them in future when will take job preparation. For instance, I am taking job preparation and I read many other books apart from academic courses. It helps me a lot and I can explore many unknown topics which are very interesting and informative. I read some medical books as well to learn about some medical terms and medicines. Nowadays, I am very familiar with a lot of medical related treatments since I have read a number of medical books.

Despite the above arguments, it is undeniable that reading other books simultaneously with academic courses has some drawbacks. Firstly, If they continuously read other subjects, they might not do well in their main exam. Thus, their CGPA will drop which can reduce their confidence. in addition, they might distract from their academic life and feel less interest in academic courses. One of my friends Rahim read more non-academic subjects than academic books. But last year he failed in a major course and become very frustrated. Then he stopped reading off topic contents and this year he made a very good result.

Therefore, I argue that this habit varies person to person. Those who can adopt easily with this, they may continue. But students who can't cope with this should focus on academic.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of broadening knowledge versus the potential negative impact on academic performance. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example regarding 'medical books' is a bit anecdotal and could be more effectively linked to the broader concept of interdisciplinary learning. The position is consistent throughout, but the depth of analysis could be improved by exploring the long-term implications of these choices rather than focusing primarily on short-term exam results. Overall, it meets the requirements of the task well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'While', 'Despite the above arguments', and 'Therefore', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical or repetitive. For example, the use of 'Firstly' in the second body paragraph is not balanced by a 'Secondly' or similar structure. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'those who can adopt easily with this', where the pronoun 'this' lacks a precise antecedent. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'interdisciplinary', 'academic courses', and 'foreign affairs'. However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'get any idea' instead of 'gain insight' and 'make a very good result' instead of 'achieve excellent results'. The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score. Improving collocations would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the world politics'), verb forms ('when will take job preparation'), and subject-verb agreement ('Rahim read more... but last year he failed... and become very frustrated'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some errors with capitalization and sentence boundaries. The student demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but the frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy is recommended.

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