Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)
The argument about whether the government should fund the operation of a university to make education freely accessible to all remains debatable. I totally agree with this, as every young individuals have the right to education and it has a long-term benefit to the society.
First of all, nobody should be deprived of education. There are instances where students are not able to attend university just because they could not afford the fees. This creates inequalities and violates the basic human-right to education. Furthermore, educating young individuals helps a society both economically as well as socially.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 96 words long. Consequently, the ideas are severely underdeveloped. While you clearly state your position in the introduction, the body paragraph lacks the necessary depth, specific examples, and logical extension required for a Task 2 essay. To achieve a higher band, you must expand your arguments with concrete evidence or personal experience and ensure you meet the length requirement to allow for a full exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is too short to demonstrate a full range of cohesive devices or effective paragraphing. While there is a basic attempt at logical progression using 'First of all' and 'Furthermore', the lack of a conclusion and the brevity of the text make it difficult to assess your ability to manage cohesion over a longer piece of writing. The ideas are presented in a simple, linear fashion, but the overall structure is incomplete.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally accurate but quite basic. Phrases like 'long-term benefit' and 'deprived of education' are appropriate, but there is little evidence of less common or sophisticated lexical items. The range is limited by the brevity of the response. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to government policy and higher education.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are some grammatical errors, such as 'every young individuals' (should be 'every young individual' or 'all young individuals') and 'human-right' (should not be hyphenated). The sentence structures are relatively simple. While you attempt a complex structure with 'There are instances where...', the overall range is limited. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or passive voice, while maintaining accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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