Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-09
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Nowadays, many medical research projects are funded by private companies. In your opinion, do you think that research should be carried by private companies, individuals or government?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 6.0)
In the following text, I will discuss why medical research projects should be carried out by the government rather than by private companies or individuals.
In my opinion, private companies and individuals don't have an incentive to act independent and therefore are not in the right position to be responsible for medical research projects. Compared to them, the government doesn't have an incentive to not act independent. For instance, a private company or individual in Germany does research on medical projects to earn money or gain a better reputation for themselves. Why should they be independent if they earn money through the results or recommendations from the medical research reports? Medical research reports are an important topic and relevant for the vast of majority of the people in Germany. Therefore the independent government should be responsible for that and not private companies or individuals.
Another argument is that the result of these medical research project have consequences for over 1 million people over the next years. Therefore the results should be correct and the tests that were made shouldn't have any faults. For instance, a private company in Germany does a important medical research, but the result isn't tested enough, because of a shortage in money, it has consequences for millions of people in the future.
On the other hand, a private company often has better professionals, capacities, tests and more money to improve the quality of their work. As a consequence, I can understand the argument that a good independent private company is able to provide better results than the government.
All in all, I argue that important medical research projects should be done by the government, because the government doesn't have an incentive to manipulate the results or tests, because of money or reputation.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you argue that government should lead medical research because it is less motivated by profit or reputation. You support this with relevant concerns about independence and the consequences of unreliable findings, and you acknowledge the counterargument that private companies may have better professionals and resources. However, the discussion is unevenly developed. The claim that government has no incentive to act independently is asserted rather than explained, and the example of a company conducting insufficient tests because of limited funds is hypothetical and not fully connected to how government oversight would prevent this. Develop the comparison with a specific mechanism or example, and explain how your preferred approach would address the risks you identify.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two paragraphs supporting government involvement, a counterargument, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “Therefore,” and “On the other hand” help signal the direction of the argument. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. The repeated use of “Therefore” and “because” makes the reasoning feel formulaic, while the relationship between the first paragraph’s claims about independence and the later example of inadequate testing could be made more explicit. The second supporting paragraph also ends without showing how government responsibility would reduce the risk described. Use clearer references to connect each example to your main claim, and make the progression between reasons more explicit.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “medical research projects,” “incentive,” “independent,” “recommendations,” and “consequences.” This gives you enough range to communicate your main argument, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural and are repeated, which limits precision. For example, “act independent” is not the natural expression, and “a important medical research” is an awkward phrase. “The vast of majority” is also incorrectly formed, while “better professionals, capacities, tests” is imprecise and does not clearly describe the private sector’s advantages. Aim for accurate collocations and more specific terms, such as research expertise, testing facilities, or commercial interests. This would make your argument sound more controlled and academic.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional reasoning in “Why should they be independent if they earn money…” and a concession introduced by “On the other hand.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “the result of these medical research project have” has a number-agreement problem, and “a important” uses the wrong article. The sentence beginning “For instance, a private company…” also joins several clauses in a way that makes the cause-and-effect relationship difficult to follow. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and singular/plural forms, and divide long sentences when they contain several linked ideas. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen the response.
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