Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-19

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)

Few students have a view that different subjects should be taught to them along with their core subjects in an university while others argue that focusing on getting a degree is much more essential. Getting extra subjects mean getting extra knowledge than can open doors to different opportunities but similarly can add more academic burden on the students.

Learning is a process that never stops and individuals keep on learning throughout their lives. Having a wider range of knowledge helps a person to take the right decision and grow better rather than having a limited knowledge. For example, a BBA student learning about the financial markets can run a business later in his life while making right investments in stocks leading to greater returns and financial stability. Moreover, exposure of different cultures and languages is possible for students opting distinguish lessons landing them with jobs abroad. For instance, a social sciences student from IBA Karachi opts for German subjects that can provide her details of the German traditions along with the learning of German language leading her to secure a job in Germany.

On the other hand, adding more subjects to the curriculum can hinder the learning capabilities of a students since every individual have a different IQ level. Suppose two university friends, Suleiman having the highest CGPA and Altaf being a mediocre student, joins an extra class. It is understandable that Suleiman may score well in all the subjects including extra subjects since he is sharper while Altaf may suffer in academic pressure leading to getting failed in a couple of subjects.

The argument that either students should have extra subjects in their curriculum or not, should be decided by the students themselves. Since knowledge is an important element that can lead to having better opportunities rather than a stagnant growth, I prefer that the students should be allowed to have more subjects than the main ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—studying extra subjects versus focusing entirely on core qualifications—and clearly states a personal opinion in the final paragraph. Ideas are developed with relevant examples, such as the BBA student learning about financial markets and the social sciences student learning German. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay. While the arguments are generally well-supported and relevant, some supporting points could be slightly more expansive to reach higher bands. Nevertheless, the response fully satisfies the requirements of Band 7 for Task Achievement by addressing all prompt components with a clear position and supporting examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction of the issue to arguments supporting extra subjects, counter-arguments regarding academic pressure, and a concluding opinion. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'For instance' are used appropriately to link ideas, although referencing and paragraph transitions occasionally feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response effectively. Overall, the structural flow is clear and easy to follow, aligning closely with the Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, employing terms such as 'academic burden', 'stagnant growth', and 'financial stability'. There are some successful attempts to use less common vocabulary items. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'an university' (which is also grammatical), 'getting extra subjects mean', and 'leading to getting failed'. Despite these slips, the vocabulary is adequate for the task, and meaning is communicated clearly without strain, fitting comfortably into the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses (e.g., 'Learning is a process that never stops and individuals keep on learning throughout their lives'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors involving subject-verb agreement and article use, such as 'every individual have', 'capabilities of a students', and 'joins an extra class'. Additionally, awkward phrasing like 'leads to getting failed' occurs. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from achieving a higher score due to a lack of consistent control over complex structures.

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