Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-17
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)
Over the years, it has been proposed that more people who desire to obtain a higher education, but they cannot afford it, the authority should be responsible for the cost from the inception to the end in order to be free for everyone. I firmly agree to the view as I believe this measure will benefit both the people and the government.
To begin with, university education is very paramount to most people as they believe it prepares them for their future careers. But due to the exorbitant amount of money involved in some professions has hinder them to become what most have desire to become in life. If government can direct more of their budget towards these aspects, it would definitely motivate vast of people to pursue their profession rather than to be involved in crimes or meaningless activities.
Furthermore, when higher learning is made free it would have greater impact in the economy of the state. There will more and more graduate to work as a civil servant or private worker. This would provide more professionals in the country. There will be no need to search for workers from another state.
In conclusion, education should be free in order to cr
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, ending abruptly at 203 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, as the conclusion is incomplete and the arguments remain underdeveloped. While you clearly state your position in the introduction, the supporting points—such as the economic impact and crime reduction—lack depth and specific examples. To improve, you must ensure you fully expand on your points and complete the essay structure. The under-length nature of the response prevents a higher score, as the task is not fully addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay uses basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete nature of the text. Paragraphing is present, but the logical flow is interrupted by the abrupt ending. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of a finished conclusion makes the overall coherence feel disjointed. To improve, focus on ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that the essay reaches a logical, full conclusion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You use some relevant terms like 'exorbitant', 'inception', and 'profession', but there are also awkward collocations such as 'vast of people' (should be 'a vast number of people') and 'paramount to most people' (usually 'paramount for'). The range is somewhat limited, and the repetition of basic structures restricts your ability to demonstrate more sophisticated lexical control. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic collocations would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You struggle with subject-verb agreement and word order, for example: 'the authority should be responsible... in order to be free' and 'has hinder them to become'. There are also issues with pluralization, such as 'There will more and more graduate' (should be 'graduates'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of grammatical errors is noticeable and occasionally distracts the reader. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for verb forms would help improve your accuracy.
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