Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

A fully government-funded university education offers significant social benefits, but a completely free system poses severe economic and quality challenges. While i agree that higher education should be highly accessible to promote social mobility, but i disagree with the idea that it should be entirely free for everyone without restriction.

A balanced approach, combining targeted grants for low-icocme students with partial tution fee or scholarship is a more sustainable model.

On one hand ,arguments that i partially agree are that free education will promote equal oppertunities for every class of the society as it removes the financial barriers for brilliant styudents from low-income background. It ensures that talent , not wealth determines success. , for instance , Scandinavian nations offer free higher education.

It also drives Economic development by providing a massive boost to a nation's economy. Industries thrive when there is a steady supply of skilled doctors , engineers etc . The investment a government makes in education is often paid back over time .

On other hand , there are also arguments against free university education which i partially disagree are that funding higher education requires immense financial resources , if the government shifts its all budgets to the education , how it will manage to healthcare and infrastructure.

However, a balanced approach is a better option by keeping a moderate tution fee and providing scholarships for low income and aacademically gifted students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you support making university accessible but oppose making it entirely free for everyone, and you propose grants and moderate fees as a compromise. You address both benefits and drawbacks, including social mobility, economic development, and pressure on public budgets. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained: the Scandinavian example is not developed, and the concern about funding is posed as a question without showing how free tuition would affect other services. The conclusion is also brief and does not fully draw together your reasoning. The response is 15 words below the required minimum, so it needs further development as well as additional length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, discussion of benefits, consideration of costs, and a concluding preference for a balanced model. Linking phrases such as “On one hand” and “On other hand” help signal the contrast. However, progression is sometimes disrupted by awkward or unclear connections, particularly “arguments that i partially agree are” and “arguments against ... which i partially disagree are.” The opening also uses “While” and “but” together, making the relationship between ideas less clear. Paragraphing is limited, and the final recommendation repeats the introduction rather than developing a clear concluding summary. Use one main idea per paragraph and connect each example directly to its claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “social mobility,” “financial barriers,” “skilled,” and “infrastructure,” which allows you to discuss access and public spending. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “a steady supply” and “paid back over time.” However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices reduce precision, for example “low-icocme,” “oppertunities,” “styudents,” and “tution.” Some collocations are awkward, including “massive boost to a nation's economy” and “shifts its all budgets.” Proofread spelling carefully and choose more natural academic combinations. More precise vocabulary for funding trade-offs and educational outcomes would also help you express the argument with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in the opening and a conditional question about government spending. The main ideas are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems remain. For example, “While i agree ..., but i disagree” combines two contrasting structures incorrectly; use either “Although I agree ..., I disagree” or “I agree ..., but I disagree.” In “if the government shifts its all budgets,” the possessive structure is faulty, and the question “how it will manage” needs clearer indirect-question wording. Capitalisation and comma spacing are also inconsistent. Practise building accurate contrast and conditional sentences, then check sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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