Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-13

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 6.5)

Nowadays, a large amount of medical research is funded by private companies. While some believe that governments should pay the main role because medical research is essential for public health and should not be controlled mainly by profit.

Firstly, government should fund medical research because their main responsibility is to protect the health of the public. They can support research into serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases, even when there is little chance of making a profit. For instance, government funded research can focus on developing vaccines and treatments for diseases that affect a large number of people. Therefore, public funding can ensure that medical research focuses on people health rather than financial benefits.

On the other hand, private companies can also pay an important role in medical research. They usually have large financial resources, modern technology and skilled scientist, which can help them develop new medicines can generate high profits. However, their research may mainly focus on products that are financially rewarding, while less profitable diseases may receive less attention.

In conclusion, although private companies can contribute money, technology, and innovation, I believe that governments should be the main funders of medical research. This would ensure that research is focused on improving public health rather than only generating profits. Government funding can also ensure that important diseases are researched even when they are not financially attractive. Therefore, a combination of government and private funding would be beneficial, but the government should have the leading role .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that governments should be the primary funders of medical research. The ideas are relevant and logically extended, particularly the contrast between profit-driven private research and public health needs. However, the development is somewhat brief. While the arguments are sound, they could be further strengthened by providing more specific examples or deeper analysis of the 'individuals' mentioned in the prompt, which is currently overlooked. The conclusion effectively synthesizes the main points and provides a balanced final stance, ensuring the task requirements are met.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different perspectives. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion. The referencing is generally clear, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You have used some topic-specific terms like 'financial resources', 'modern technology', and 'public health'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more precise, less common lexical items and collocations. For example, instead of 'pay an important role', you could use 'play a pivotal role'. There are no significant spelling errors, and the word choices do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'governments should pay the main role' (should be 'play'), 'people health' (should be 'public health' or 'people's health'), and 'new medicines can generate' (missing a relative pronoun 'that'). While these errors do not prevent understanding, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and ensuring complex sentences are constructed with greater precision.

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