Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)
Education plays vital role in every individual's life. It has been suggested that it is the onus of the regime to pay for the expenses of universities making education free for all the students. However, I partially agree with this notion.
On one hand, if the government will provide funding for the universities operations then it will promote the basic right to education in the region. In brief, when the university education will be free then students from underprivileged section of the society will have the independence to choose their profession without considering financial constraints. In addition, the funding of the regime will also encourage social equality. The differences between the wealthy and the needy section of the society will also diminish as the children of both sections of society have the equal opportunities to choose their professional courses.
On the other hand, the complete funding of university education by the government will put burden on the economic sector of the country. There are number of expenses associated with the administration of universities which include cost of infrastructure, payment of employees, maintenance of the buildings and so forth. Thus, if the government will run these education institutions solely by itself then it can compromise the growth of other sections of the society like transportation and healthcare. Apart from this, free university education can also increase overcrowding in the institutions. Students will start enrolling in the universities generally because it will be free. They will not be having the motivation to pursue the courses. Consequently, it will not only impact the quality of academics but also put pressure on various university resources.
In conclusion, I believe that the government can provide funds for university education, making it affordable for all the sections of the society, however, making it completely free will be financial constrain for the regime affecting the growth of other sections of the society.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, presenting a clear position that is partially in agreement with the statement. The ideas are relevant and well-developed, with the first body paragraph discussing the benefits of equality and access, and the second paragraph addressing the economic implications and potential for overcrowding. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points and reiterates the balanced stance. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific examples or evidence to support the claims, such as mentioning a country that has implemented free tuition or discussing the long-term economic benefits of a highly educated workforce to counter the argument about financial burden.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, and the writer uses a range of cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'In addition', 'Thus', and 'Consequently'. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more varied. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the opposing viewpoints. The overall structure is coherent, and the central ideas within each paragraph are clearly linked to the topic sentence, ensuring a smooth flow of information throughout the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses some good collocations and academic phrases such as 'financial constraints', 'social equality', and 'underprivileged section of the society'. There are occasional minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'onus of the regime' (which sounds slightly unnatural; 'responsibility of the government' would be better) and 'financial constrain' (should be 'constraint'). While the range is adequate to convey the intended meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision of less common lexical items that would be required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, but there are recurring errors, particularly with articles (e.g., 'the university education', 'the government will provide funding for the universities operations') and verb tense consistency in conditional sentences (e.g., 'if the government will provide... then it will promote'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the response from reaching the 7.0 band. The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence variety is sufficient to maintain the reader's interest throughout the argument.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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