Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-12

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 6.0)

People have different views when it comes to university tuition fees. Some believe that governments should cover universities operational cost so that school fees would be free. I agree to a large extent because free education has economic benefits and can mitigate school drop outs.

First and foremost, the number of out-of-school children will significantly reduce. Low income families may not be able to send their children to universities due to high tuition fees. This can be illustrated in many high school drop outs that find it difficult to to further their degree at higher institutions. Governments handling the running cost of these institutions would relief the burden students has to pay for hostel facilities, library maintenance cost and other school amenities. Therefore, when authorities handle this costs, students may have to pay very little or no fee.

Finally, it can be beneficial to the economy in the sense that there is no shortage of workforce. As a result of free education, schools produce a large number of graduates across all professions such as medicine, engineering, law and accounting. This can ensure that there are no shortage of staff across the nation and could therefore boost the economy significantly. Lack of free education may however, reduce the workforce in critical professions which may have a negative effect on the economy. This can only be possible when governments fund school infrastruture, so that management would not depend of students' fees.

In conclusion, I believe authorities should fully fund running cost of colleges, because it can reduce out-of-school children and also have economic impact.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you agree to a large extent, and the conclusion restates that governments should fund universities. You also give two relevant reasons—reducing barriers for low-income students and supporting the supply of skilled workers—and include examples of professions. However, the first point shifts from university access to “out-of-school children” and high-school dropouts, so the link to university funding is not always precise. The economic argument is relevant but broad: explain more clearly how increased graduate numbers translate into economic benefits, and acknowledge a possible cost or limitation to show fuller consideration. Developing these points with specific examples and clearer cause-and-effect reasoning would make the response more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs signposted by “First and foremost” and “Finally,” and a conclusion. The main ideas are generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “As a result” and “Therefore” help show relationships. At times, however, the progression within a paragraph is less controlled: the first body paragraph moves from university fees to high-school dropouts and then to hostel and library costs without fully explaining each connection. Some references, such as “these costs” and “This can only be possible,” are not entirely clear. Use more precise referencing and build each paragraph around one claim, followed by explanation and a directly connected example.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “tuition fees,” “low income families,” “workforce,” “critical professions,” and “boost the economy.” These choices make the subject clear, and you attempt more formal expressions such as “mitigate school drop outs.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, though: “school fees” is less suitable for university charges, “handling the running cost” is awkward, and “out-of-school children” does not precisely describe people unable to attend university. There are also spelling and word-form slips, including “infrastruture” and “drop outs.” Aim for more natural academic collocations and check spelling and compound forms; this will make your arguments sound more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and cause-and-effect structures such as “Low income families may not be able to…” and “Lack of free education may however, reduce…”. Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Governments handling the running cost … would relief” has an incorrect verb form, while “the burden students has to pay” contains an agreement and sentence-pattern problem. In “there are no shortage,” the noun phrase does not agree with the verb, and “students may have to pay very little or no fee” needs more accurate number agreement. Review subject–verb agreement, verb forms after modal verbs, and article/plural use, while continuing to vary sentence structures.

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