Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-28

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)

In this globalized era in the education is the inevitable part of life and right to each and every person. In my option government is elected by people for their jobs to be done so I believe everybody should have access to education but will discuss both of the option

Firstly, the education makes the youth of a country wise and productive. An educated youth will serve is different sectors such as he can be a nurse, doctor or an engineer. With the help of government the deserving children can gain his dream eductions. Can serve his country in different important sectors which serves important for building a nations economy. For instance I belong to a middle class family I came here in Canada as international student but the fees structure was very expensive and it’s very hard for a middle class person to pay such a big amount for higher education

On the contrary, giving free education is important but if puts burden on the government to pay all the fees by themselves. I believe that it can be in 70 or 30 percent ratio in terms of grants . For example a student can take grant from government which he has to give only 30 % back to government and 70 % he can keep it. This system was used in 2024 by the osap which was very efficient for students to get the higher eduction in universities.

In conclusion it should be a win win stutayion for both the government and people because all people can not pay the higher and government can also not take that much burden so I think the 70:30 ration can work well for government and well as for people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the government's role in funding higher education. However, the position is somewhat inconsistent; while you initially state that education should be accessible to everyone, you later suggest a 70:30 cost-sharing model. The ideas are relevant but lack depth. For instance, the argument about the 'youth of a country' is a good starting point, but it needs more detailed explanation regarding how free education specifically impacts national economic growth. The personal anecdote about being an international student in Canada is relevant but could be better integrated to support the broader argument rather than just serving as a personal observation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the transition 'On the contrary' is used to introduce a compromise rather than a direct opposition to the previous point. Additionally, referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'both of the option', which lacks a clear antecedent. While there is a logical progression from the introduction to the conclusion, the flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by awkward phrasing, making the overall coherence feel somewhat disjointed.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'big amount' and 'jobs to be done'. There are also several word-choice errors, such as 'stutayion' (spelling) and 'eductions' (incorrect form). While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'grants' and 'fees structure', the overall range is limited. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form to convey your ideas more precisely.

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 ('education makes... he can be'), article usage ('in the education'), and awkward phrasing ('which serves important for building'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article placement would significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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