Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-12

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)

The growth in higher education enrollment and the diversification of university degree offerings represent a distinctly positive development. Expanding access to advanced studies and tailoring academic pathways to modern industries equips the workforce with essential skills, fosters socioeconomic mobility, and drives technological innovation.

Economic and Career Benefits

Targeted Skill Sets: Emerging industries require specialized expertise. Modern degree offerings—such as digital marketing, additive manufacturing, data science, and automation engineering—prepare graduates directly for technical roles rather than forcing them to rely on abstract theory.

Higher Employability: Advanced qualifications significantly improve individual earning potential and long-term career security. Modern economies demand higher levels of technical literacy, making tertiary education a practical baseline for sustainable employment.

Socioeconomic and Personal Growth

Upward Mobility: Broadening access to higher education allows individuals from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds to achieve financial independence and move into high-value professional sectors.

Adaptability and Lifelong Learning: Exposure to structured tertiary environments cultivates critical thinking, self-directed learning, and adaptability—skills that are essential as industry needs rapidly evolve over time.

While critics argue that a surplus of graduates can lead to credential inflation or that specialized programs risk becoming obsolete, the broader benefits far outweigh these challenges. When academic institutions align their program offerings with practical industry demands, higher participation in post-secondary education directly strengthens both individual career prospects and national economic growth.

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AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response clearly addresses the prompt by arguing that the increase in higher education and course offerings is a positive development. Key ideas such as targeted skill sets, higher employability, and upward mobility are introduced and supported with specific examples like 'digital marketing, additive manufacturing, data science'. However, as noted in the length check, the response contains 241 words, falling short of the 250-word minimum. This minor negative constraint violation prevents the task from being fully developed, pulling the score down to Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a logical overall organisation with clear headings and a natural progression of ideas from economic benefits to socioeconomic growth. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes. Cohesive devices are managed reasonably well, such as transitions like 'While critics argue', although some structural headings substitute for full transitional sentences. Referencing and progression remain clear throughout, fitting the Band 7 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student exhibits a wide and precise lexical range, incorporating sophisticated and subject-appropriate vocabulary such as 'diversification', 'socioeconomic mobility', 'credential inflation', and 'additive manufacturing'. Word choices and collocations are generally natural and accurate. There are only occasional minor limitations or formulaic expressions, but the overall resource is strong, easily supporting a Band 7.5 or 8.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay displays a wide range of complex sentence structures, including participial phrases and conditional-like arguments ('When academic institutions align their program offerings...'). Grammatical control is exceptionally strong with the vast majority of sentences being error-free. Punctuation and syntactic structures are handled with precision, demonstrating a high level of accuracy that meets the Band 8 descriptors.

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

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