Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-05

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 believed that the higher level education should be totally free by the government who desires to get certification. This essay strongly agree with the statement because students from poor backgrounds can study and helps country to grow .

Every university student or student who comes from poor economic background often struggle to pay hefty fees of the university. This is because parents who earns minimum wages or high taxes have stopped them to sending their children to get undergrads level study due to unble to afford. As a result, students are dropping out of the university and help their parent to make daily living. For example, in UK, almost 90% of university pupils have dropped out in 2025 due to higher fees to afford higher education.

Students are the future of our society by getting a free university can help boost country towards getting remuneration benefits and recognition in the society. Many adults who will receive a free education can help government in return via paying taxes and students who become doctors, engineers and scientists can get decent amounts of recognition in the world. Therefore, providing education to university students play an important role almost every one can get benefits from it For example, in Russia, government started campaigning to get education despite of frees or affordability standards and

In conclusion, it should a wonderful to provide free education to university pupils because It helps countries to grow financially and students who can't afford education due to higher fees can get education.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of free university education. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. While the argument regarding economic accessibility is relevant, the supporting examples—such as the claim that 90% of UK students dropped out in 2025—are factually unsupported and lack logical depth. The second body paragraph attempts to discuss the benefits of a skilled workforce but remains somewhat repetitive and vague. To achieve a higher band, you should focus on providing more realistic, well-reasoned arguments and ensuring that your examples directly support your main points rather than relying on unsubstantiated statistics.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between and within them is often mechanical. While cohesive devices like 'As a result' and 'Therefore' are used, they are sometimes applied incorrectly or in a way that does not logically connect the preceding thought to the next. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence of the second paragraph, which ends abruptly. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a clear progression of ideas, making the argument feel disjointed at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The range of vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. There are several instances of awkward word choices and incorrect collocations, such as 'get certification' instead of 'obtain a degree' and 'remuneration benefits' which is used incorrectly in this context. Some phrases are also grammatically imprecise, such as 'unble to afford' (spelling error) and 'campaigning to get education despite of frees'. To improve, you should focus on learning topic-specific vocabulary related to education and economics and practice using these words in their correct collocations.

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 occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'parents who earns'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'it should a wonderful'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and basic sentence construction would be highly beneficial.

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

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