Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-14

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)

Majority of people feel that the government should pay the cost of running universities so that a university education will be free for anyone who wants it, I agree with this opinion because if government should pay for the cost of running universities, the indigiens will benefit more from the govermnent.

Firstly, I beliveve that if government starts paying the cost of running universities, lots of benefits will be going to the masses because within each community, their is always that family finding it very difficult to cope with the cost of going to university for higher learning. In a situation where one wants to be a doctor, lawyer, engeneir or anyother professional body without having what it will take for him or her to acquire the knowledge in the university, their are tiny chances of obtaining a sponsorship from whomever might voluntier to sponsor him or her. Here, young growing minds will end up not becoming whatever carear thy might want to pursue in life.

When government pays for the cost of running the universities, war against illiterates will become more effective in action. This will trigger the personal wills of the masses in going to the university. Their would be no room for illiteracy because the cost of learning has already been paid.

On the other hand, if government should pay the cost of running universities, some lazy ones might take studies for ganted becuse; they did not know the pains accompanying the cost. Though on this, majority still carry the vote.

Conclusively, it will stll be of more beneficial to the masses if government would be paying the cost of running universities so that universities would be free fo whomever wants it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that government funding should make university education free, and you give relevant reasons, including helping families who cannot afford fees and widening access to professional careers. The example of someone hoping to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer helps illustrate the consequences of limited funding. You also acknowledge a counterargument—that some students may take their studies for granted—and explain that you still support public funding. However, this opposing point is only briefly addressed, and the claim that free education would leave “no room for illiteracy” is too absolute and needs explanation. Develop the reasons with more specific examples and clarify how government funding would work to make your case more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two supporting paragraphs, a counterargument and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “On the other hand” and “Conclusively” help readers follow the main stages of your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several ideas are repeated rather than developed—for example, the claim that government payment benefits “the masses” appears in multiple places without adding much detail. References such as “Here” and “on this” are also vague, so the connection between sentences is not always easy to follow. Organise each body paragraph around one clear reason, explain it step by step, and use linking expressions more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to education and public policy, including “higher learning,” “sponsorship,” “illiteracy” and “professional.” This gives you enough language to communicate your main position, but the range is limited and several choices or spellings reduce clarity. For instance, “personal wills” is not a natural way to describe motivation, while “war against illiterates” sounds inappropriate and does not express the idea clearly. There are also repeated broad terms such as “masses” and “cost.” Aim for more precise, natural collocations and check spelling carefully; this will make your argument sound clearer and more formal without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including conditional structures such as “if government starts paying” and “if government should pay.” However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. The opening sentence joins two complete ideas with a comma, and “if government should pay … the indigiens will benefit” has an awkward conditional construction. There are also errors in agreement and sentence structure, as in “their is always that family” and “their are tiny chances,” which make the reader pause. Work on forming complete sentences, matching subjects and verbs, and using articles consistently. Breaking some long sentences into shorter, accurate ones will help you express your ideas more reliably.

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

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