Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-15

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)

University education plays a vital role in developing individuals and contributing to society. While some students believe that they should pursue other minor subjects as well to give importance to their interests other than their main subjects. Others argue that we should put all of our efforts and time to our primary subjects. In my opinion, it is a good idea to opt for subjects that can actually improve you in any way, other than the main subjects.

On the one hand, students who are in favour of devoting all of their attention to their main subjects are not completely wrong. Because if you have chosen a degree in the first place according to your interests, it is important to excel in that field to secure your future by acquiring a good job, rather than wasting your time on irrelevant subjects.

On the other hand, studying additional subjects can provide students broader knowledge and skills. Learning about different skills can improve their critical thinking and creativity. If I share my experience being a Data Analytics student, I enrolled in Finance subjects that were not directly relevant to my main degree. But it helped in understanding the basics of business and how I can help finance departments with my data science skills. And I ended up landing a job as a Financial Analyst.

In conclusion, learning additional subjects depends on the competency and intelligence of students. Learning additional subjects can broaden the student's knowledge and improve career opportunities, whereas focusing on primary subjects will help them develop expertise in that particular field. I believe that students should definitely explore other subjects unless they lose focus on their degree.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and state a clear opinion: additional subjects are worthwhile when they support students’ development, provided they do not distract from the degree. The finance example is particularly effective support, showing how learning beyond your main subject contributed to a Financial Analyst job. The argument for concentrating on a qualification is relevant, but it is less fully developed: you mainly link it to securing a good job and describe other subjects as potentially irrelevant, without explaining further benefits of specialisation or when this focus is most important. The conclusion also introduces students’ “competency and intelligence” as a condition without explaining how these affect the choice. More balanced development and clearer explanation of these points would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall progression: an introduction presents the debate and your position, two body paragraphs discuss the opposing views, and a conclusion restates your judgement. Signposting such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” makes the contrast easy to follow, while the personal example is placed logically in support of the second view. To strengthen the flow further, make the relationship between the conclusion’s condition—students should explore other subjects “unless they lose focus”—and the earlier arguments more explicit. Some transitions are also slightly mechanical, and the opening sentence of the first body paragraph, beginning “Because,” is a fragment that interrupts the paragraph’s flow. Overall, however, the organisation is clear and ideas progress logically.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “qualification,” “critical thinking,” “creativity,” “expertise,” and “career opportunities.” These choices help explain both the academic and practical value of studying additional subjects, and the meaning remains clear throughout. There are also some imprecise or unnatural collocations that limit flexibility: “pursue other minor subjects,” “give importance to their interests,” and “improve you in any way” do not express the intended ideas naturally. “Learning about different skills” is also vague, and “competency and intelligence” is not a precise description of what should guide students’ choices. Aim for more exact academic phrasing and natural collocations, especially when describing subject choices and their benefits.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional clauses (“unless they lose focus”) and a relative clause (“subjects that were not directly relevant to my main degree”). Most sentences communicate their meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. The sentence beginning “Because if you have chosen a degree” is a fragment; connect it to the preceding sentence or recast it as a complete sentence. In “it helped in understanding,” the pronoun’s reference is unclear, and “how I can help” shifts tense within a past-tense account. There are also issues with articles and number, such as “provide students broader knowledge” and “the student's knowledge” when referring to students generally. More consistent sentence boundaries and careful checking of tense, articles, and plurals would improve accuracy.

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