Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-02

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)

Medical research is essential for the betterment of the existing diagnostic tests and treatment solutions so as to effectively serve all sectors of the population. It can help identify solutions that are more cost-conscious, medications that produce minimal side effects or telemedicine that is more accessible. Projects that are funded by private organizations carry an inherent risk of manipulation of trials to favor outcomes that are desirable for their companies.

Individual researchers are limited by financial burden to support their needs such as a well equipped lab or access to medical data and therefore remain reliant on other institutions. Research should ideally be funded by governments through grants as this would ensure relative fairness in conducting studies. Government funded studies are more effective in gaining the trust of its citizens compared to private giants. Covid vaccines developed by companies like Pfizer have largely garnered negative attention for possible long term adverse effects such as sudden cardiac death. Such occurrences has led to a dip in the public trust on private giants.

While private sector may not be reliable to the citizens, government measure can help ensure reliability. Medical Research will not benefit from being monopolized, instead both government funded and private projects should occur simultaneously as this would maintain the drive to discover and foster competitive spirit. In the long run private research is essential. To ensure quality and fairness, administrative measures such as the appointment of a quality officer or the use of larger sample sizes can be incorporated. A good balance is required in the field of medical research to maintain the spirit of innovation that is safe and effective.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by discussing the roles of private companies, individuals, and the government. Your position is clear throughout, advocating for a balanced approach where government funding ensures fairness while private research maintains innovation. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, though the discussion on individual researchers is somewhat brief compared to the other sections. To reach a higher band, you could provide more specific examples of how government-funded research has historically led to breakthroughs, rather than focusing primarily on the negative perception of private pharmaceutical companies. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question posed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme: the risks of private funding, the limitations of individual research, and the benefits of a balanced approach. You use cohesive devices such as 'While', 'In the long run', and 'instead' to link your arguments effectively. However, some transitions could be smoother; for instance, the jump from discussing individual researchers to government funding could be bridged more explicitly. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, and the overall flow of the argument is easy to follow for the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'inherent risk of manipulation', 'garnered negative attention', and 'foster competitive spirit' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'dip in the public trust on private giants' (should be 'in' or 'towards'). While you use some less common items, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than highly sophisticated. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive use of terms like 'private giants' or 'medical research'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are several error-free sentences, and your control of grammar is generally good. However, there are a few slips, such as 'Such occurrences has led' (subject-verb agreement error: 'have led') and 'government measure can help' (should be plural 'measures'). Additionally, 'the betterment of the existing diagnostic tests' is slightly awkward phrasing. Despite these occasional errors, your meaning is always clear, and the grammatical mistakes do not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex structures would further enhance your score.

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