Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-05

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)

The majority of people believe that education is very expensive, so that government should do something to make it free of charge for anyone that has interest in learning. But I believe that if education becomes totally free people will not value it. There should be a little financial commitment by the students.

On one hand, if government can make education free in the country at least from primary to secondary level, that will help the society to ensure that every child has the basic education. For example, we have parents who can not afford giving their children basic education, but with free education their children can be educated and be useful to the family and the society.

On the other hand, i don't support free education to the tertiary level because the existing ones are under funded because the government dont have enough money to handle things like building the required infrastructure, payment of lecturer salaries and other necessary things in the school. No where in the world that a country can survive running free education at all levels for its citizens. Any country that tries that, is call for a big future problem because the economy will be affected negatively.

In my opinion, the education should not be free at all levels, especially at the tertiary level, let the student pay money because that will encourage them to serious in learning and give the government a little support in developing the school and build a good economy. But there should be free education from primary to secondary level.

In conclusion, education is not free, every form learning comes with a price and anyone rhat want the knowledge should be ready to make sacrifice. But the basic education should be free so that the poor in society can send their children to school.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you oppose making university education entirely free, while supporting free primary and secondary schooling. You address the central question and give relevant reasons, including students valuing their education and government funding pressures such as infrastructure and lecturer salaries. The example of families unable to afford basic schooling also supports your case. This meets the task well, but the two sides are not developed equally: the case for charging university students is asserted more than explained, and claims such as “No where in the world” are broad and unsupported. To strengthen the response, explain how student contributions could help without excluding capable students, and qualify general claims with a specific example or reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present contrasting points, and the conclusion restates your position. Signposting such as “On one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” makes the progression easy to follow. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and some links between ideas are not fully clear. For example, the first body paragraph discusses free schooling through secondary level, while the next shifts to university funding without explicitly connecting this distinction to your main argument. The conclusion repeats several points rather than drawing them together. Use a wider range of linking expressions and clearer references, and make each paragraph’s opening sentence show how its point supports your overall position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “tertiary level,” “infrastructure,” “lecturer salaries,” and “economy.” These choices show some range beyond basic everyday language. However, several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems limit precision: “make it free of charge for anyone that has interest,” “a big future problem,” and “give the government a little support” are awkward or vague. There are also spelling errors such as “dont” and “rhat.” Aim for more natural academic combinations and precise terms, such as describing universities as “underfunded” or saying that fees “contribute to operating costs.” Proofreading spelling and avoiding repeated use of “free education” would improve control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if education becomes totally free” and longer sentences explaining the consequences of government funding. The main meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make sentences awkward. For example, “government dont have enough money” has subject–verb agreement and auxiliary errors, while “anyone that has interest” needs an article and a more suitable relative construction. “That will help the society to ensure” also shows awkward article use, and the final sentence beginning “every form learning” is missing a preposition. Improve accuracy in articles, agreement, and sentence construction, and check punctuation and capitalisation, especially the lowercase “i.” More consistently controlled complex sentences would strengthen the response.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.