Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-22

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)

In today's contemporary era, it is often argued that the government should make higher education free for anyone who wants to attend. In my opinion, I largely agree with this idea. In this essay, I will discuss the main reason for my position before reaching a conclusion.

To begin with, the main reason is that if the authorities fund the university tuition fees, then despite being from low-income families, children will get access to higher education, and that will eventually create employment opportunities. In addition to that, youth will become more knowledgeable, and having more employed citizens will boost the country's economy. For example, Kerala has a highly educated population, and many people working in the tourism sector can communicate in several languages. This can attract more tourists and contribute to economic growth.

Secondly, people can spend tuition fee money on different sectors such as building houses or factories. Citizens do not need to worry about high fees and can leave happy life with their loved ones. Moreover, all children get equal benefits, and they no longer need to select their studies based on their family income. Through this, a standard of living arises, and more people can contribute to society. To illustrate, if the government funds higher studies, then poor children can go to medical school and become doctors in the future.

To conclude, even though it use load on the government to spend money on higher education, it helps low-income people to get access to any field of study and helps society; not only that, but the country's economy also increases

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly presenting a position in favour of government-funded university education and supporting it with reasons and examples. The writer successfully highlights how free tuition increases access for low-income families, boosts employment, and improves the broader economy. The first body paragraph effectively uses the example of Kerala to support the idea of an educated workforce driving economic growth. In the second body paragraph, the point about families redirecting funds to housing or factories is a bit unusual, but the central idea regarding equal access to professions like medicine is clearly conveyed. The position is maintained throughout, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 or 7.0, although further extension of ideas would push it higher.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall arrangement with logical progression. The introduction establishes the topic and the writer's stance. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion sections. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition to that', 'Secondly', and 'To conclude' are employed to structure the response, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, and the logical flow allows the reader to follow the arguments without difficulty, earning a solid Band 6.0 performance with touches of Band 7.0 structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including appropriate phrases such as 'contemporary era', 'low-income families', and 'employment opportunities'. There are some less common lexical items attempted, such as 'authorities' and 'standard of living'. However, there are a few word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'leave happy life' (instead of 'lead a happy life') and 'even though it use load on the government' (instead of 'imposes a financial burden'). Despite these errors, communication is not impeded, placing the vocabulary firmly in the Band 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditionals ('if the authorities fund...', 'if the government funds...') and subordinate clauses effectively. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, such as 'youth will become more knowledgeable', 'all children get equal benefits', and 'the country's economy also increases' (missing punctuation/verb tense issues). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they rarely impede communication. This balance of complex structures and persistent minor errors aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors.

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

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