Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-07

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)

The choice of subjects in university level by the students in highly debated. Some students prefer to learn outside of their primary subjects to get knowlege that can give them benefits while others believe giving all their time to their specific areas can help to achieve better results overall. In my opinion, it is better to learn based on personal interests without being rigid.

One might argue that when we learn about a specific subject, devoting available time and effort can bring the best results in short time period. This ensures that the person will have all the necessary skillset when they achieve their degree. With such qualifications, the graduates have better chance to get their dream job and the employers can get skilled human resources. Students do not have enough time to complete their coursework and get relevant experience in their university and when they study other subjects, it might be a waste of time with no overall benefit for their career. For example, an engineering student taking English literature class. These two do not have overlapping areas and will add extra academic burden on the students.

On the other hand, when students read only limited subjects, they are unable to get basic knowlegde about how the world actually works. This can limit their thinking ability as they are trained to think in a particular way to tackle specific issues. But people have their personal life outside of their work and being good at work alone is not helpful. For example, a person needs to know about saving money and investing them to make proper use of their earnings. But if the students are only focused on engineering for instance, they will need to learn those things eventually in future which can become troublesome for them. So it is better to include necessary that can benefit them.

In my opinion, universities should introduces courses related to important sectors financial management, ethics, environment, etc. in every programs to help students. But these should be managed in the way that puts least pressure on the students. Furthermore, it is better to encourage students to read books outside of their main subjects based on their interest as it can be good way to relax and gain knowledge.

In conclusion, although allocating time to the major coursework can benefit the students by making them more skilled and knowledgeable, it is better to include subjects that can help them lead better life when they begin to work in the future. Rather than creating a hard and fast rule, the individuals should have freedom to practice things they enjoy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both views and gives a clear personal position: you support flexibility and broader learning, while recognising that concentrating on a qualification can improve specialist skills and employment prospects. The examples about an engineering student taking literature and learning about saving and investing make the discussion relevant. This meets the task well, but development is uneven: the case for focusing on a major is explained through workload and career benefits, whereas the broader-learning argument shifts between general thinking skills and practical life knowledge without fully showing how these relate to university study. Your proposal for universities to offer courses in finance, ethics and the environment is useful, but could be linked more explicitly to the two views. More precise explanation and support would make the response more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, a paragraph stating your recommendation, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the other hand,” “In my opinion,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. The progression is generally logical, but some connections are mechanical or unclear. For instance, “So it is better to include necessary that can benefit them” does not specify what should be included, and the move from personal financial knowledge to university course design could be made more explicit. The conclusion also repeats the main position rather than drawing together the key reasons. Use clearer referencing and connect each example directly to the point it supports to strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for discussing education and careers, including “qualifications,” “academic burden,” “overlapping areas,” and “financial management.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common terms are attempted. However, several word-choice and collocation problems reduce precision, such as “in university level,” “get knowlege,” “skillset,” and “necessary that can benefit them.” Spelling errors in “knowlege” and “programs” also show that written forms need closer checking. Some expressions are broad or repetitive, including “better results,” “benefit,” and “important,” where more exact wording would clarify the argument. Aim to use natural academic collocations and check spelling and word forms during revision; this would make the vocabulary more flexible and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple and complex sentence forms, such as the conditional construction “when they study other subjects, it might be a waste of time” and the contrast introduced by “although” in the conclusion. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors persist. For example, “The choice of subjects in university level by the students in highly debated” is missing a verb and has an awkward sentence structure; “universities should introduces” has incorrect subject–verb agreement; and “in every programs” has an article and plural mismatch. There are also issues with articles and sentence construction in “in short time period” and “it can be good way to relax.” Review agreement, articles, and complete clause structure, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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