Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-08

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 6.0)

Today, in various countries across the globe, a rising number of students are opting to continue their studies after graduating from the school. As a result, the universities and colleges have added new courses to their catalogue. I personally believe that this is a very positive development and in this essay I'll provide reasons to support this opinion.

First of all, it's clear that schools only cover the fundamentals which are appropriate for the children to grasp. While colleges and universities offer more in-depth and specialised curriculum. This in-depth study allows students to gain comprehensive knowledge of their areas of interest and enhance their capabilities which is not possible if students abandon their education after school. For instance, in school, the only thing we learned about the computers was the functionality of its different components and some basic tasks such as using the paint app. However, in university we learned programming and much more.

To account for the growing number of students, colleges and universities have increased their subjects catalogue. This helps students to pursue the fields that interest them the most. Before, only a limited number of subjects were available because of which many students had to opt into some courses that they didn't appeal to them. Study shows that usually the top performers are those who take a special interest in their studies. Moreover, new courses also create more job opportunities because the institutes would require additional qualified teachers to teach those subjects.

To conclude, increasing number of students continuing their education after school is a positive development as it allows them to gain vast knowledge of their fields. In addition to that, more courses create additional opportunities for the qualified teachers and allow students to pursue the career that appeal to them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a positive position in the introduction and maintaining it throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the depth of study and the expansion of career opportunities. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding job opportunities for teachers is a bit tangential to the main focus of students continuing their education. To reach a higher band, the student should provide more nuanced examples or deeper analysis of the societal impact of higher education, rather than relying on general statements. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'However', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, though there are minor instances where the connection between sentences could be more sophisticated. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the clarity of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'comprehensive knowledge', 'specialised curriculum', and 'qualified teachers'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'subjects catalogue' instead of 'course catalogue' and 'courses that they didn't appeal to them' (which should be 'that didn't appeal to them'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. The student makes a good attempt at using topic-specific language, but more variety and idiomatic control would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'graduating from the school' (should be 'graduating from school'), 'the functionality of its different components' (referring to 'computers' in plural), and 'increasing number of students' (missing the article 'an'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The student shows an ability to use complex structures, but the frequency of minor errors prevents a higher score. More attention to articles and subject-verb agreement would enhance the accuracy of the writing.

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.