Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-12

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)

While some university students believe that curriculum should include all subjects along with the main degree subjects, I personally stand with the opposing view that it is preferable to give all time and efforts to only those subjects that qualifies the requirement of the degree and help students in their professional prospects.

On the one hand, proponents want universities to teach other subjects in addition to the main ones. It is mainly because they want to expand their knowledge and skills related to other areas of life. Learning different topics and building varoius skills not only give them a well-rounded study approach, they also help students to apply such commands in real-life circumstances. For example, learning subjects such as sociology and geography might benefit students while debating on political issues and travelling nationally or internationally with the range of information regarding their needs. Therefore, provision of such teachings provides significant advantages to students both academically and socially.

On the other hand, it is considered by some students to study only the required degree subjects because of professional demands. The major reason behind this proposition is the high requirement by job sectors, who highly want their upcoming employees to bring excellent knowledge and skills that are needed to enter professional industries. Because of such requirements, students only want to contribute their time and efforts to the courses that will benefit them in this regard. For instance, computer science graduates are likely to become great developers if taught subjects related to their degree rather than studying other subjects that do not possess the ability to benefit them in their professional careers. That's why adding qualified courses in the curriculum would help students enter job markets with a strong profile.

In my opinion, although learning other subjects have its own advantages, it is more important for students to give their time and attention to studying for a qualification. Commanding a subject through continuous learning and building professional skills accorddingly will highly help students in mastering their fields as well as secure excellent jobs right after their graduations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and state a clear preference for focusing on degree-related study, then reinforce it in the conclusion. The discussion of broader learning is relevant, with sociology and geography used to illustrate possible benefits, while the computer-science example supports your position. This meets the task well overall. However, some ideas are more fully explained than others: the benefits of studying additional subjects are described broadly, and the examples do not fully show how these subjects would fit alongside a degree. The claim that employers highly require degree-specific knowledge could also be qualified or supported more precisely. To strengthen the response further, develop each main reason with a clearer explanation of its consequences and a specific example. The response meets the stated length requirement; 9 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction presents your position, two body paragraphs discuss the opposing views, and the conclusion restates your opinion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In my opinion” makes the progression easy to follow. Within paragraphs, however, some links feel mechanical, particularly the repeated cause-and-effect phrasing “Because of such requirements” and “That’s why.” A few references are also imprecise: “such commands” does not clearly identify the knowledge or skills mentioned earlier, and “this regard” could refer to more than one point. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make pronoun references explicit. These refinements would make the cohesion more flexible and the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including terms such as “well-rounded,” “professional prospects,” “professional industries,” and “job markets.” These choices help communicate the contrast between broad education and career-focused study. You also attempt more formal vocabulary, but some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, for example “apply such commands,” “high requirement by job sectors,” and “adding qualified courses.” There are also spelling errors, including “varoius” and “accorddingly.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Aim for natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully; choosing a simpler, accurate phrase is more effective than using an ambitious expression that does not fit its context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including subordinate clauses such as “although learning other subjects…” and relative clauses such as “courses that will benefit them.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the range is suitable for presenting and supporting an opinion. Some grammatical errors persist, however. In “subjects that qualifies,” the plural subject requires “qualify”; “Learning different topics … not only give them” should use “gives”; and “learning other subjects have its own advantages” has a subject–verb agreement error and an inconsistent pronoun. The opening sentence is also difficult to control because of its long structure and missing articles in “give all time and efforts.” Review agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, and simplify long sentences when needed to maintain accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.