Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-24

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)

While some university students argue that acquiring knowledge about other subjects along their main line of study is important, others consider it a waste of time. Although focusing only on the primary subjects is crucial get high grades, I firmly believe exploring other topics is indispensable for real-world problem solving.

The chief reason why some students are compelled to study just enough subjects to graduate is deeply rooted in the fear of getting low grades. It is a common misconception that humans have limited brain capacity, and any excessive cognitive load could be detrimental to the whole learning process. For instance, students who invest all their time and effort in three subjects are highly like to get higher grades than those who study a plethora of topics. Consequently, this would lead to weak academic grounding and an inability to work in professional capacity in the future.

Those who recognize the significance of studying subjects which are not included in their course, myself included, tend to think beyond the immediate effects on grades. Real-world challenges are fairly complex and tackling them require a set of skills that hardly any c

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is significantly under-length at 189 words. Consequently, the essay is incomplete, and the argument is cut off mid-sentence. While you successfully identify both sides of the argument and state a clear position in the introduction, the development of ideas is severely hampered by the lack of length. To achieve a higher band, you must fully develop your supporting points and provide a complete conclusion. The current response is too brief to adequately address all parts of the task, resulting in a penalty for task completion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay shows a logical structure with a clear introduction and body paragraphs. You use cohesive devices such as 'While,' 'Although,' 'For instance,' and 'Consequently' to link ideas. However, because the text ends abruptly in the middle of a sentence, the overall coherence is disrupted. The paragraphing is appropriate for the length provided, but the lack of a concluding paragraph further impacts the flow and logical progression of the argument. To improve, ensure that you have enough time to complete your thoughts and provide a summary or final statement to round off your essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'indispensable,' 'detrimental,' 'misconception,' and 'plethora' effectively. There are some minor errors, such as 'highly like to' instead of 'highly likely to,' and 'work in professional capacity' which should be 'work in a professional capacity.' While the vocabulary is generally precise enough to convey your meaning, the limited length prevents you from showcasing a wider range of lexical items. Focus on using more collocations and ensuring grammatical accuracy when using complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'crucial get high grades' (missing 'to') and 'tackling them require' (subject-verb agreement error, should be 'requires'). Despite these slips, the meaning remains clear throughout the text. You have attempted to use complex sentences, which is positive, but the frequency of minor errors prevents a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and ensure that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly and contain all necessary auxiliary verbs.

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

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