Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

There is an ongoing debate about whether governments should cover the cost of university education so that it is free for everyone who wants to attend. While providing free higher education would place a significant financial burden on governments, I largely agree with this approach because it can create equal opportunities and provide long-term benefits to society.

One major reason why governments should fund university education is that it can give students from less wealthy families equal access to higher education. This is because tuition fees can prevent capable students from attending university, which may limit their future career opportunities. For example, a talented student from a low-income family may have the academic ability to become a doctor or engineer but may choose not to attend university because of the high cost of tuition. As a result, making university education free could allow more talented individuals to develop their skills and contribute to the economy.

On the other hand, providing free university education to everyone could place considerable pressure on government budgets. In other words, governments would need to allocate a large amount of public money to universities, which could reduce the funding available for other essential services such as healthcare, housing and public transportation. For instance, if a government spends a substantial proportion of its budget on university education, it may have fewer resources to improve hospitals or build affordable housing. For this reason, I believe that governments should provide free or heavily subsidised university education, particularly for students who cannot afford the costs themselves, rather than necessarily making it completely free for everyone.

In conclusion, while fully funding universities would require considerable government expenditure, it could give students from disadvantaged backgrounds greater educational opportunities and benefit society in the long term. Overall, I believe that governments should provide free or substantially subsidised university education to ensure that financial circumstances do not prevent capable students from pursuing higher education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The student addresses all parts of the task fully and directly. The prompt asks whether the government should pay university costs so that education is free, and the student establishes a clear position in the introduction: 'I largely agree with this approach because it can create equal opportunities and provide long-term benefits to society.' This position is maintained throughout the response. Ideas are well developed and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of a talented student from a low-income family choosing not to attend university due to high costs. Furthermore, the response acknowledges counterarguments regarding government budget pressures, making the discussion well-rounded. The task is thoroughly answered, and all requirements are met effectively, corresponding to a Band 8 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response demonstrates a clear and logical overall progression. Information and ideas are logically sequenced, moving smoothly from the introduction to supporting paragraphs, a counterargument paragraph, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'While providing free higher education', 'One major reason', 'As a result', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to manage the flow of ideas without becoming overly mechanical or obtrusive. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct central theme. Referencing is clear throughout, and the relationship between ideas is easy to follow, meeting the criteria for Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student exhibits a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision. Phrases such as 'significant financial burden', 'equal access to higher education', 'considerable pressure', and 'substantially subsidised university education' demonstrate a strong grasp of topic-specific collocation. Less common items are used with some awareness of style, such as 'allocate a large amount of public money' and 'disadvantaged backgrounds'. Word choice is generally accurate, and spelling is correct throughout. While it does not consistently display the sophisticated control or rare idiomatic phrasing typical of Band 8, the lexical resource is comfortably within the Band 7 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response features a wide variety of complex sentence structures used accurately. Examples include conditional and concessive clauses such as 'While providing free higher education would place a significant financial burden on governments, I largely agree...' and '...if a government spends a substantial proportion of its budget...'. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the writer demonstrates good control of grammar and punctuation. Errors are extremely rare or non-existent, and complex structures are handled with confidence. This level of syntactic variety and grammatical accuracy aligns closely with the Band 8 descriptors.

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

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