Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-04

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people feel that the government should pay the costs of running universities so that a university education will be free for anyone who wants it.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

It is often argued that in order to provide free university education to everyone who wants to study, financial assistance should be given by the authorities to the universities. I completely agree that government should allocate financial resources to run universities which will help everyone to get university degree without paying anything because average income people can study at universities and it will increase the literacy rate.

One of the main reason why I believe this trend will have some advantages for both society and government is that instead of having strong cognitive abilities, some people may deprive from university education because their parents can not afford their tuition fees. As a result, To provide financial help to their families, they start doing low-skilled jobs which leads to have stress at an early age.

Another significant reason is that if everyone have the access to study higher level of education, it will not increase the literacy rate but also make the path for learners to get white-collar jobs. Therefore, more jobs means economic growth of the country. Futhermore, it will also reduce stress of parents as due to inflation, many families struggle to meet their basic needs and pay their children's tuit them to pay the high tuition fee of their children

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of government-funded university education. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments provided. While the main ideas—social mobility and economic growth—are relevant, they are not fully developed. The conclusion is missing entirely, and the final sentence is fragmented and repetitive, which prevents a thorough exploration of the topic. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detailed examples and ensure you meet the word count to allow for a complete essay structure, including a proper introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression. You use some cohesive devices like 'One of the main reason' and 'Another significant reason,' but these are sometimes used incorrectly or with grammatical errors. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between ideas is somewhat mechanical. The final paragraph ends abruptly with a sentence that is incomplete and repetitive, which disrupts the overall coherence of the piece. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words more accurately and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus that leads naturally into the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use some relevant terms like 'financial resources,' 'literacy rate,' and 'white-collar jobs,' which is positive. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'some people may deprive from university education' (should be 'be deprived of') and 'tuit them to pay the high tuition fee.' These errors occasionally hinder the clarity of your message. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more sophisticated vocabulary to express your ideas more naturally and precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect readability. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('if everyone have the access'), incorrect preposition use, and sentence fragments ('which leads to have stress'). The final sentence is particularly problematic, as it is garbled and incomplete. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors is noticeable. To improve, you should practice proofreading your work to catch basic errors in tense, agreement, and sentence construction, and aim for more error-free complex sentences.

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.