Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-29

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)

Universities are offering diverse courses including their major subjects which is being appreciated by most of the university students. Although some students prefer to spend all their time and attention to studying for a qualification, I strongly believe that various subjects need to be learnt in addition to main subjects.

When a student wants to pursue a degree in a subject, he must need to think about the professional opportunities first. In recent times, mastering in one subject requires to have diverse knowledge in different topics. For instance, If someone wants to be a good architect, beside having excellent design skills, he obviously need the basic knowledge of structural engineering, art, social science, accounting, project management, and so on in order to create a complete building design. If an architect has a lack of basic knowledge of anything related to the project, it is not possible for him to produce a practical design or to run an architectural firm. Therefore, including diverse courses with any university major is necessary to master in a profession as well as for a better career growth.

In contrast, when students focus on only their major excluding other subjects, they probably can gain a particular skill better, but they have lack of other knowledge that they need in their corporate life. For example, a doctor can be extremely skilled in his profession, but if he does not have the basic communication or social skills on how to deal with patients, he cannot grow in his professional career. So, he must know about basic skills in other areas which can be included in their main courses.

In conclusion, though there is an argument between including and not including other subjects with the majors in universities, it is essential to have knowledge in various subjects. So, other basic courses should be included to the main courses to allow the better professional growth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—learning diverse subjects versus focusing entirely on a qualification—and clearly states a personal position. The ideas are relevant and supported by specific examples, such as the requirements of an architect needing knowledge in project management and social science. However, some arguments tend to over-generalize slightly or remain slightly under-developed in terms of exploring the opposing view more deeply. Despite this, the main tenets of the prompt are well-covered throughout the essay, demonstrating a clear understanding of the task requirements and maintaining a consistent viewpoint from introduction to conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the body paragraphs addressing the professional need for diverse knowledge, the counter-perspective, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'In recent times', 'For instance', 'In contrast', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader, although referencing is occasionally slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring that the structure supports the central arguments without causing confusion or disrupting the flow of ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and subject-related terms such as 'professional opportunities', 'structural engineering', 'corporate life', and 'master in a profession'. There are, however, some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'mastering in one subject requires to have' instead of 'mastering a subject requires having', and 'has a lack of basic knowledge' rather than 'lacks basic knowledge'. While these lexical errors occur, they do not impede communication, and the overall vocabulary range is sufficient to convey precise meanings in most instances.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures and subordinate clauses effectively (e.g., 'If someone wants to be a good architect...'). There are, nevertheless, frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb patterns, articles, and prepositions, such as 'he must need to think', 'beside having' instead of 'besides having', and 'included to the main courses' instead of 'included in the main courses'. Although these errors are noticeable and persist throughout the text, they rarely impede overall communication, placing the response solidly within the Band 6 descriptor range where simple and complex sentences are mixed with some recurring mistakes.

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