Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-16

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)

I strongly believe that education should be made accessible to the public at large. For example, if I talk about Pakistan, there are a lot of people who are unable to afford their expense of education and as a result, they are considered inferior from those who are well educated. This discrimination is damaging our society and the mental well-being of our youth.

In my opinion, it would be very hard for the government to pay the costs of running universities and making university education free for anyone who wants it. Almost every other country is under financial pressure these days. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the ratio of debt to equity is increasing for every country and countries are struggling to manage their debts. A drastic increase in debt has been witnessed following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Therefore, in such tough times, expecting from the state to fund the educational cost of its residents would only overburden the state. However, the government can deal with this matter strategically. For example, in the United Kingdom, the university fee of the nationals is almost 50% less than the fee of the international students. Therefore, they are collecting extra money from the international students and using that money to fund the educational cost of their nationals. Some people might think that it is unfair but the reality is that the state's primary responsibility is towards its citizens, hence the citizens should be the top priority.

Furthermore, the government can lend money to its citizens without any collateral and at zero interest rate so that everyone can access it. Moreover, the government should set up a proper mechanism to ensure that private universities do not exploit the citizens and charge affordable tuition fee to the students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you support wider access to university but do not think the state should cover all costs. You address the funding question with relevant alternatives, including lower fees for citizens, interest-free loans and regulation of private universities. These points show a sound response to the task. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others. The opening explains the social harm of unequal access, but does not connect this in detail to how your proposed policies would reduce it. The UK example is also asserted rather than explained, and the claim about international fees funding citizens’ education would benefit from evidence or qualification. Developing these links and clarifying the extent of your agreement would make the argument more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: it moves from the problem of unequal access, to the financial limits on government, and then to possible alternatives. Paragraphing supports this progression, and signposts such as “Therefore,” “However,” and “Furthermore” help readers follow the argument. At times, though, the links feel somewhat mechanical, and some references could be clearer. For example, “Therefore” introduces the UK example after the claim that public funding would overburden the state, but the connection between the two could be made more explicit. The final paragraph presents two proposals quickly, without showing how they relate to the earlier example. Use fewer formulaic transitions and add sentences that explain the relationship between each proposal and your central position.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including terms such as “financial pressure,” “overburden,” “collateral,” and “exploit.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning remains clear. There are also some imprecise or unnatural collocations, such as “afford their expense of education,” “inferior from those,” and “fund the educational cost.” “Ratio of debt to equity” may not accurately express the public-debt comparison intended. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for more conventional academic combinations and check that technical terms match the point you are making. For instance, “afford tuition fees” and “public debt” would be clearer in this context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You demonstrate a useful mix of simple and complex structures, and many sentences are controlled, including “A drastic increase in debt has been witnessed following the Covid-19 pandemic” and the sentence beginning “Some people might think that it is unfair.” Subordinate clauses and linking structures are used to express cause and contrast. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In “expecting from the state to fund,” the infinitive construction is faulty; “expecting the state to fund” is the appropriate pattern. “The university fee … is almost 50% less” also needs a plural or a more suitable noun phrase, such as “university fees are.” Review articles, plurals and verb patterns, while retaining the range of sentence structures already present.

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