Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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, many medical research projects are funded by private companies. Some people believe that private companies and individuals should carry out medical research, while others think that governments should be responsible for it. In my opinion, governments should play the main role, but private companies should also support medical research.

There are several reasons why governments should be mainly responsible for medical research. First, medical research is important for the health of the whole population, so it should not depend only on companies that want to make profits. Governments can provide financial support for research into diseases that may not be profitable but are still serious problems. For example, research on rare diseases may not bring much money to private companies, but it can greatly improve the lives of patients. Second, governments can make sure that research follows strict ethical and safety rules. This is particularly important when new medicines or treatments are tested on people.

However, private companies also have an important role in medical research. They usually have large amounts of money, modern technology and skilled researchers. As a result, they can develop new medicines and medical equipment more quickly. For example, pharmaceutical companies spend a large amount of money developing new drugs and vaccines. Private investment can therefore reduce the financial pressure on governments and increase the amount of research being conducted.

Individuals can also contribute to medical research, although their role is generally smaller. For instance, wealthy individuals may donate money to hospitals, universities or research organisations. Such donations can help researchers conduct studies and buy modern equipment.

In conclusion, I believe that governments should be mainly responsible for medical research because public health should be the priority. Nevertheless, private companies and individuals should also contribute money, technology and expertise. Cooperation between these groups can help medical research progress more effectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing whether medical research should be carried out by private companies, individuals, or the government. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay: the writer argues that governments should play the primary role, while private companies and individuals should also contribute. The ideas are well-developed and supported with relevant examples, such as the distinction between profitable commercial research and essential rare disease research funded by governments, as well as the technological contributions of pharmaceutical companies. The response easily meets the criteria for Band 7, displaying clear task awareness and well-supported main ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the government's role to the contributions of private companies and finally individuals. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, such as 'First', 'Second', 'However', and 'For instance', guiding the reader through the argument without feeling mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating distinct ideas into logical blocks. Referencing and substitution are clear, contributing to the overall coherence of the response and fulfilling the requirements for a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision, incorporating less common lexical items such as 'profitable', 'ethical and safety rules', 'pharmaceutical companies', and 'financial pressure'. Word choice is generally appropriate for an academic context, and there are very few spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. While the vocabulary is not exceptionally sophisticated or rare enough to consistently hit Band 8 levels, it safely and comfortably sits at Band 7 due to its adequate range, natural control, and appropriate collocation throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or relative clauses such as 'research into diseases that may not be profitable' and 'when new medicines or treatments are tested on people'. The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled well. There is good control over grammar throughout the essay, with only occasional minor slips that never impede communication. This performance reflects a solid Band 7 level, characterized by a variety of complex structures and frequent error-free sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.