Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-02

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries these days, the number of people continuing their education after school has increased, and the range of courses available at universities and colleges has also increased.

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In contemporary society, the number of people continuing their education after school has gone up, and the range of courses available at universities and colleges has also increased. I believe this is a positive development because it provides better opportunities and improves individuals' skills.

The range of courses available at universities and colleges has increased due to the rise in the number of individuals enrolling in higher education programmes, primarily because people pursue different careers, which makes universities increase the number of courses they offer. For example, a tertiary institution wanting to admit more students should have a wide range of courses so as to accommodate all the needs of its learners.

One of the major advantages of proceeding with education is that it provides better opportunities for work. Employers might prefer to hire an employee who has higher educational qualifications because they believe that education increases their knowledge and skills. For instance, a person with more qualifications is likely to outshine others in an interview.

Furthermore, more people are choosing to proceed with their education because they want to improve their skills in specific areas. For instance, a dentist might choose to pursue further education in the same field to widen their understanding, which will help them address difficult issues.

To conclude, I largely believe that the increasing range of courses available at universities is a result of the higher number of people continuing with their higher education. This is a positive development because it provides better opportunities and improves individuals' skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by identifying the trend as a positive development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention better work opportunities and skill improvement, the arguments remain quite general. For instance, the explanation of why universities increase courses is somewhat circular, stating that they do so because more people enroll. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of the societal or economic implications of this trend. The conclusion simply restates the introduction rather than synthesising the main points, which limits the depth of your response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'For instance', and 'To conclude' to link your ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally repetitive, particularly in the way the prompt's premise is restated in the conclusion. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to create a more cohesive flow of argument. Overall, the structure is clear and easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'contemporary society', 'tertiary institution', and 'higher educational qualifications'. However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, especially the frequent use of 'increase' and 'education'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms or collocations related to academic and professional development. While your word choice is generally accurate and does not impede communication, there is a lack of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions that would be necessary to achieve a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

Your grammar is generally accurate, and you use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are error-free, which makes the text easy to read. However, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. For example, you rely heavily on 'because' to connect clauses. To improve, try using a wider variety of subordinating conjunctions or relative clauses (e.g., 'which', 'whereby', 'not only... but also'). There are no major grammatical errors that impede meaning, but the lack of structural variety keeps this in the band 6 range.

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

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