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)
A portion of undergraduate students are keen to acquire knowledge about skillful subjects that are not included in their curriculum along with their majors. Other people argue that they should concentrate more on their academic education in order to qualify for a degree. Both views hold importance due to several valid points. Although securing good grades brings many opportunities, having extra-curricular skills can give an edge over others.
On the one hand, most students are inclined towards studying multiple subjects and learning practical skills during their university years. This enables them to survive at their workplace. For example, many students around the world, who are doing graduation in computer science, are interested in learning about freelancing services. Nowadays, people website development with the help of artificial intelligence and giving services to international clients. This useful skill has enabled them to earn substantial amount of money along with their studies. Although performing these kind of activities can consume time, it make students financially stable and confident.
On the other hand, it is widely believe that students should give full attention to their studies. No doubt, performing well during in academics can make a student eligible for several prestigious designations. Moreover, many top ranked universities in the world offer fully-funded scholarships to talented and hard working students. For instance, a brilliant student at educational institute always gets benefited with different rewards. Government jobs have strict eligibility critera for the selection of candidates on the basis of their marks' percentages. Students with considerable academic knowlwdge can easily perform well in competitive exams.
In conclusion, shudents should be encouraged to study different subjects they are interested in. In addition to this, academic performnce should not be overlooked because that is the basic need for qualification. Despite being expert in hands-on skills, if a student fails to pass the final assessments of his curriculum, he will not be able to get a degree.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—learning extra subjects versus focusing entirely on the main curriculum—and providing a clear personal opinion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported appropriately, such as the example of computer science students learning freelancing and web development. While some points could be slightly deeper, the overall development satisfies the requirements for Band 7.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay displays a clear overall progression and logical organisation throughout. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with distinct introductions, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'For example', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader, although some referencing is slightly mechanical. Overall, the structural flow meets the criteria for Band 7.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'extra-curricular skills', 'financially stable', and 'prestigious designations'. However, there are some noticeable vocabulary and collocation errors, such as 'skillful subjects' instead of 'practical subjects', 'people website development' (missing verb), and spelling errors like 'critera' and 'knowlwdge'. These minor inaccuracies restrict the lexical score to Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay incorporates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Although securing good grades brings many opportunities, having extra-curricular skills can give an edge over others'). However, there are recurrent grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'performing well during in academics', 'these kind of activities', 'it make students', and spelling/typographical slips in the conclusion ('shudents', 'performnce'). These errors occasionally disrupt the flow, placing the grammar at Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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