Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-13

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that the only reason for learning a foreign language is in order to travel to or work in a foreign country. Others say that these are not the only reasons why someone should learn a foreign language.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Some people argue that the only reason for learning a new language is when the person travels to that country or wants to work in that country of the language which they are learning. Other people argue that there are other reasons besides that why someone should learn a new language. I think that there are a lot of reasons for learning a new language besides working or traveling to that country, because I argue that there can be a need to use the foreign language in the domestic country too.

On the one hand, people argue that the only use for a new language is to talk to people in that language in their country or to use the new language skills at work. For example, a young student learns spanish, because he wants to travel to spain and connect with locals. Furthermore he wants to do an internship in spain and needs the right language skills to communicate with coworkers. People think that this young student doesn't use his spanish in his home country, because he can communicate in his domestic language with people who are living there and there is no need to speak spanish.

On the other hand, in my opinion people who are learning a new language can use that language in their domestic country too. I think that someone who has foreign friends living in their domestic country, someone in the family can speak the foreign language very well or they want to be in teacher in languages has other reasons besides traveling or working in the foreign country to learn that language. For instance, a young student from Germany with a spanish girlfriend who moved to Germany, has an incentive to learn spanish to communicate with her in her foreign language.

All in all, I think that there are more reasons to learn a foreign language besides working or traveling to that country, because even in the person's domestic country there are many opportunities to speak a foreign language.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You discuss both views and make your own position clear: you argue that foreign languages can also be useful in a person’s home country. The examples of the student travelling to Spain and the German student communicating with his Spanish girlfriend are relevant and help illustrate the contrast. However, the first view is developed mainly through one student’s travel and internship plans, while the second view’s other possible reasons—such as family connections or becoming a language teacher—are listed rather than explained. The claim that there are “many opportunities” at home could also be supported with a specific example. Develop each reason more evenly and explain why it matters to strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present the opposing positions, and the conclusion restates your opinion. The progression from “On the one hand” to “On the other hand” makes the discussion easy to follow, and examples are placed in the relevant paragraphs. To make the organisation more flexible and precise, reduce repeated wording such as “new language,” “domestic country,” and “traveling or working to that country.” Some references are also awkward to follow, particularly “someone in the family can speak the foreign language very well or they want to be in teacher in languages,” where several ideas are crowded together. Separate and connect these points more clearly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the topic and distinguish the two views, including “internship,” “communicate with coworkers,” and “incentive.” However, the range is somewhat repetitive: “new language,” “foreign language,” “country,” and “reasons” recur frequently, limiting precision. Some choices are unnatural or inaccurate, such as “the country of the language,” “domestic country,” and “be in teacher in languages.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding your main ideas, but they make the expression less idiomatic. Aim for more natural collocations and vary your wording—for example, refer to a “home country” and to “becoming a language teacher.” Check spelling and capitalisation of language and place names, including “Spanish” and “Spain.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including subordinate clauses with “because” and a relative clause in “people who are learning a new language.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “a young student learns Spanish, because he wants” shifts awkwardly into the present tense within a hypothetical example, and “someone in the family … or they want” creates unclear agreement and reference. The sentence beginning “I think that someone who has foreign friends…” also becomes difficult to control as several ideas are joined. Practise keeping hypothetical examples consistent and dividing long sentences into clearer units. These changes would improve accuracy while preserving your range of structures.

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