Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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

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 that 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 requires a set of interdisciplinary skills which are impossible to cover all in one university course. For example, an architect who is competing to win the contract to design a state of the art museum. In this scenario, communication is a vital skill to make her stand out as she will have to convince the stakeholders. Although no the art of convincing other is not a part of architects qualifications, it play sensational role in real life.

In conclusion, Although it is sensible that some students find themselves drawn to only concentrate on discipline specific subjects, this could have ramifications for career prospects. Being Equipped with diverse knowledge, however, will definitely make a student unique.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. However, the development of the first body paragraph is slightly contradictory; it argues that focusing on fewer subjects leads to higher grades, but then concludes that this results in 'weak academic grounding,' which feels like a slight logical leap. The second paragraph provides a good example of an architect to support the need for interdisciplinary skills. To reach a higher band, ensure that the link between the 'fear of low grades' and the 'inability to work in a professional capacity' is more explicitly explained.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'The chief reason,' 'For instance,' 'Consequently,' and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow; for example, the sentence 'Although no the art of convincing other is not a part of architects qualifications' is syntactically messy, which slightly disrupts the logical flow of the argument. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'interdisciplinary skills,' 'misconception,' and 'ramifications' show an awareness of academic style. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'play sensational role' (should be 'plays a significant/crucial role') and 'discipline specific' (should be hyphenated as 'discipline-specific'). While the vocabulary is generally adequate and allows for flexibility, it lacks the consistent sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. Examples include 'highly like to get' (should be 'highly likely to get'), 'no the art of convincing other' (a garbled phrase), and 'it play sensational role' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, there are some punctuation and capitalization inconsistencies, such as 'Although it is sensible... Although' in the conclusion. The student shows an ability to use complex structures, but the frequency of errors prevents a higher score.

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

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