Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-24
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)
The government should pay the costs of running universities so that a university education will be free for anyone who wants it. Every one has this basic right to get education, but not everybody affords it. If the governments starts covering this expense, it will be easy for all the students who wants to be educated. This will raise the literacy rate of the country and ultimately country will have the brilliant minds.
In my experience, I have seen so many students who are so good in studies but due to the high fees of the university they couldn't take the admission. Obviously, when they didn't get into the university, they will not have much of the exposure and are not able to get good jobs. And according to my opinion this should be the basic necessity and everyone deserves to have a higher education.
Moreover, it will have a good impact on a nation. When everybody is groomed and educated, new ideas for the work will be born. The nation will be developed and has a good impact world wide.
When the costs will be free foe everyone, it will have a less pressure on parents and they will be able to spend some quality time with children. Because now-a-days due to rise in inflation every person in the family has to work day and night to have a better life. This will decrease that pressure and and then the depression will also be decreased and have a lot positive impact on everyone.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of free university education. The ideas are relevant, focusing on literacy rates, economic benefits, and personal well-being. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'less pressure on parents' is a bit tangential to the core debate about university funding. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples or deeper analysis of the economic implications, such as how the government might fund this or the potential long-term return on investment for the state.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the flow of ideas. There is a basic attempt at logical progression, moving from individual benefits to national impacts. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'Moreover', 'And according to my opinion'). Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the shift from discussing university costs to the general inflation affecting families. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on simple phrasing like 'good impact', 'get education', and 'have a better life'. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'couldn't take the admission' (should be 'could not gain admission') and 'costs will be free' (costs are covered, education is free). To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to public policy and higher education.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('governments starts', 'students who wants'), incorrect article usage ('the brilliant minds'), and awkward phrasing ('the nation will be developed and has a good impact world wide'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and tense consistency would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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