Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-09

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 6.0)

Most of the individuals believe that government should afford all the financial costs of running colleges with the aim of providing free education to students. However, I believe that this approach will raise the financial pressure on the government, potentially leading to ineffective implementation.

On the one hand, many people needs education without any cost as they are not capable of bearing such high prices of universities fees. In today's contemporary era, teenagers as well as youngers who belong to the poor family are not getting admissions in higher level colleges because they have not sufficient amount of money. This raises the illiteracy level in the country. Because there are alot of students who has high determination level and even more sharp minds but they could not utilize it. For instance, it has been seen that those countries who adopted this policy have less illiterate people as compared to another countries.

In contrast to this, I believe that this will cause detrimental effects on government financial stability. Instead of this, the state government should reduce the university charges so that poor class family can afford it. Moreover, government should introduce schlor-ships programmes for those who has lower income level annually. For example, a recent survey revealed that 32% learners are not pursuing higher education because of high fares of colleges and their accomodation.

In conclusion, many individuals are in favour of bearing running cost of universities by government as it can help the students to get free education. I still believe that it is not a prudent idea as this type of approach will foster the pressure or burden on government.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, presenting a clear position throughout. The arguments are relevant, though some points, such as the mention of '32% learners', lack sufficient elaboration to fully develop the idea. The essay maintains a consistent stance, arguing against free university education due to financial concerns. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on your supporting examples. For instance, when discussing the impact on government stability, you could explain the specific economic mechanisms or opportunity costs involved, rather than just stating it would be a burden. Overall, the ideas are relevant and the position is clear.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In contrast to this', and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of your argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the discussion of illiteracy and the example of countries with free education could be more tightly linked. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure is easy to follow, which is a key strength of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'contemporary era', 'detrimental effects', and 'prudent'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'youngers' (which is not standard usage) and 'high fares of colleges' (where 'tuition fees' would be more appropriate). Additionally, there are minor spelling errors like 'schlor-ships' and 'accomodation'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on more precise collocations and proofreading for spelling will significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage. Examples include 'many people needs' (should be 'need'), 'those countries who adopted' (should be 'that'), and 'those who has' (should be 'have'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent use of articles. Increasing the variety of complex structures while reducing these recurring errors will help you achieve a higher band.

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.