Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-03

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)

In recent years, it has become increasingly common among people to continue their education after school. The number of courses offered by universities and colleges has also increased. Although this development has many positive aspects, particularly more job opportunities and advanced theoretical skills, it also has some disadvantages, including student debt and a lack of practical skills. I believe that it is a positive development to some extent.

One of the most significant positive aspects is that it provides more job opportunities and professional growth. This is because youth can easily get a job, and they can work in their desired field. As a result, they can grow rapidly and get promotions. For example, postgraduates are directly hired into the highest positions compared with graduates. Furthermore, they gain expertise in theoretical skills. This is because they have more knowledge. As a result, they can solve complex problems.

Despite these positive aspects, it also has drawbacks that should not be overlooked. One of the significant negative aspects is student debt. Students take loans from companies to pay their tuition fees. Consequently, they suffer a lot and do not pay attention to their studies. As a result, they fail their exams. Moreover, they have to focus on learning theoretical skills. As a result, they lack practical skills. So, they struggle in their professional life.

In conclusion, while it provides positive advantages, it also has some negative aspects. Overall, I believe that education after school and range of courses have more positive aspects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the question and state a qualified position: you see the trend as positive overall, while acknowledging debt and limited practical skills. The discussion of employment opportunities and professional growth is relevant, and the example about postgraduates being hired into senior roles attempts to support your view. However, some claims are broad or insufficiently explained. For instance, the link between taking loans and failing exams is asserted without showing why debt leads to poor academic performance, and the point about theoretical learning could be connected more clearly to the expansion of course options. To strengthen the response, explain how a wider range of courses benefits students or society, and develop each example with a clearer cause-and-effect explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. The reader can follow the main line of argument, and signposting such as “Despite these positive aspects” helps mark the shift between sides. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical because “This is because” and “As a result” recur frequently, including several times in the body paragraphs. Some links between ideas are also abrupt: the move from student debt to failing exams, for example, needs an explanation. Use a wider range of linking methods, and make the relationship between each claim and its supporting detail explicit. The conclusion could also restate the qualified position more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use adequate vocabulary to discuss education and employment, including “professional growth,” “tuition fees,” “expertise,” and “practical skills.” These choices make the topic clear, and the meaning is generally easy to understand. However, the range is somewhat repetitive, with frequent use of general words such as “positive aspects,” “negative aspects,” “skills,” and “get.” Some combinations are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “gain expertise in theoretical skills” and “provides positive advantages.” Aim for more precise academic collocations and vary repeated wording—for example, distinguish between academic knowledge, practical experience, and career prospects. This would make the argument more fluent and exact without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple sentences and more complex forms, including the concessive opening “Although this development has many positive aspects…” and the concluding “while” clause. Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and punctuation is generally controlled. Some sentence patterns are repetitive, however, particularly the repeated short statements beginning “This is because” and “As a result.” There are also a few grammatical or structural awkwardness issues, such as “it provides more job opportunities” after a plural subject (“positive aspects”), where the reference is unclear, and “education after school and range of courses” in the conclusion, which needs a clearer parallel structure and article use. Vary clause structures and check that pronouns and coordinated phrases have clear, consistent references.

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