Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-01

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)

Some university students prefer to study optional subjects in addition to their main courses, while others believe that they should devote all their time and attention to obtaining a qualification in their concern field. Although focusing exclusively on major subjects can help students to develop specialised expertises, studying additional subjects can nroaden their knowledge and develop valuable skills. I believe that a balanced approach, combining a strong focus on main subject with a limited number of complementary courses, is the most beneficial.

On the one hand, some people believe that university students should dedicate all their time and effort in their main course. University courses are often demanding and students need to spend considerable time attending lectures, completing assingments, conducting research and preparing for examinations. Focusing on one discipline also allows them to gain in-depth knowledge and develop professional expertise without being distracted by unrelated fields. For example, a medical student have to attend lectures, complete laboratorywork and participate clinical training, all of which require considerable time and concentration. However, I completely disagree with this because concentrating excusively on one subject may limit student's broader knowledge and reduce opportunities to develop useful transferable skills.

On the other hand, others believe that students should have the opportunity to study subject outside their main field. Learning additional courses can broaden students knowledge and help them to develop alternative skills such as communication, critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving. Furthermore, interdiciplinary courses can be valuable in the modern workplace, where employers often appreciate graduates who can approach problems from different prespectives. For instance, a computer science student who studies psychology may be able to develop user-friendly software because they understand human behaviours and their needs. I agree with this view because studing complementary subjects allow them to explore their abilities while make sufficient attention on thier main subject.

In conclusion, although focusing entirely on major subject can help students to develop specialised and professional expertise, I believe that some additional subjects are more beneficial. A balanced approach enables them to maintain a strong foundation in their chosen discipline ehile developing multidisciplinary knowledge and versatile skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—focusing exclusively on a main subject versus studying optional or additional subjects—and presents a clear position throughout. The introduction outlines the writer's stance, which is maintained until the conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the comparison between a medical student and a computer science student studying psychology. However, there is a tendency to slightly over-generalize in places, and some arguments could have been further elaborated to reach a higher level of depth. Overall, the task is well-handled with a clear, developed progression of ideas that covers all requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are grouped logically into paragraphs, featuring an introduction, two distinct body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to signal transitions between ideas, such as "On the one hand", "On the other hand", and "In conclusion". However, referencing and transitional links can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to guide the reader through the arguments, ensuring the overall flow remains easy to follow from start to finish.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating a sufficient range to communicate ideas with reasonable precision. The writer attempts less common lexical items, such as "interdisciplinary", "transferable skills", and "specialised and professional expertise", showing some awareness of style and collocation. However, there are noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, including "concern field" instead of "chosen field", "nroaden" instead of "broaden", "assingments", "interdiciplinary", "prespectives", and "studing". These occasional errors do not impede communication, but they reflect the characteristics of this band level where vocabulary control lacks the consistency and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as conditional and subordinate clauses. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation present throughout the text, for example, subject-verb agreement issues like "a medical student have to attend" instead of "has to attend", preposition errors like "effort in their main course" instead of "effort on", and minor awkward phrasings such as "while make sufficient attention on thier main subject". Fortunately, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. To achieve a higher band, the writer would need to produce a higher frequency of error-free sentences using complex structures with more consistent accuracy.

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

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