Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-20

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)

It is argued that some university students are eager to study other subjects with their major subjects. However, some people believe that pupils should give proper attention to just their main subjects such as Maths and Science. Although academic subjects are essential to shape a children's career, i believe extra subjects such as art and drama help them to take interest in studies.

On the one hand, major academic subjects like Science and Maths develop the fundamental skills of reading, writing and listening. This is because pupils may not feel any issue in these skills in future. This formal learning assists the students to choose a better career. As a result, they can go for studies in other countries so students full attention towards their formal subjects may provide them various opportunities of higher education and work. For instance, the vast majority of younsters choose the fields of Science and become botanists, zoologists and chemists. It may give them chance to study abroad.

On the other hand, some students prefer to study other subjects such as drama, art and dance with their main subects. This is because they take more interest in studies and in their classrooms. However, sometimes formal learning and subjects are quite tedious and tiring for peers and they do not feel active to learn any subject. Therefore, extra subjects in which students have interest, they show more eagerness and activeness. For example, in India, there are separate classes for drama, art and dance in universities then students can represent their culture and heritage in this way.

In conclusion, although formal subjects are important for student's career, In my perspective, with the addition of extra subjects help them to take interest in studies and they feel more energetic and active to learn new lessons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—learning extra subjects alongside a major versus focusing entirely on core qualifications—and presents a clear personal position in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended with reasons and examples, such as mentioning specific fields like botany and zoology, as well as cultural representation in India. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise and could be further developed with deeper analysis. For instance, the transition between core subjects and career opportunities is somewhat rushed. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.0 where all parts are covered with relevant, albeit occasionally basic, development of ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, the two body paragraphs representing different views, and the conclusion logically. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the phrase 'Therefore, extra subjects in which students have interest, they show more eagerness...' contains a dangling structure and awkward referencing. Paragraph transitions generally work, but internal cohesion within paragraphs occasionally lacks smooth progression, placing this response firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'fundamental skills', 'formal learning', and 'heritage'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as writing 'a children's career' (instead of a child's career) and 'take interest in' rather than 'take an interest in'. Furthermore, word forms are occasionally confused, as seen with 'younsters' (spelling error) and 'peers' used incorrectly to mean fellow students or classmates. While communication is never impeded, these inaccuracies and the reliance on somewhat repetitive vocabulary prevent the response from achieving a higher band score, making Band 6.0 an appropriate evaluation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional-style structures and relative clauses (e.g., 'subjects in which students have interest'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text. Examples include lowercase 'i believe', subject-verb agreement issues like 'extra subjects... help them' versus 'addition of extra subjects help them', and awkward phrasal structures. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, as the reader can easily deduce the intended meaning. The presence of these recurrent errors alongside a functional mix of sentence types justifies a Band 6.0 score.

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