Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28

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)

In recent years, the funding and execution of medical research have increasingly shifted toward the private sector. While individual researchers and private corporations contribute significantly to scientific breakthroughs, I firmly believe that the primary responsibility for conducting and funding medical research should lie with the government to ensure ethical standards and public welfare.

On the one hand, private companies play a vital role in accelerating medical advancements. They possess vast financial resources and cutting-edge infrastructure that governments often lack. Driven by market competition, pharmaceutical corporations can develop and test new life-saving drugs rapidly. For instance, during global health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, partnerships with private firms allowed for the unprecedentedly fast development of vaccines. However, the fundamental flaw with private sector research is the profit motive. When corporations fund research, they tend to prioritize highly profitable lifestyle drugs over rare diseases or affordable treatments, which can compromise scientific objectivity.

On the other hand, relying on independent individuals for medical research is highly impractical. Modern medical science requires sophisticated laboratories, expensive clinical trials, and massive teams of special.

Consequently, government-led research remains the most ethical and reliable approach. Governments are driven by public interest rather than commercial gain, meaning their research is more likely to focus on fundamental health crises, preventative medicine, and affordable healthcare for all socioeconomic classes. Furthermore, public funding ensures stricter adherence to safety regulations and unbiased peer reviews.

In conclusion, while private companies offer speed and innovation, and individuals provide creative intellect, they cannot replace the accountability of public institutions. A balanced approach, where the government leads and heavily regulates medical research while utilizing private sector efficiency, is the ideal way to safeguard public health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The candidate addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing the roles of private companies, individuals, and governments in medical research. A clear position is maintained throughout, stating that the government should take primary responsibility. The arguments are well-developed, particularly regarding the profit motive of the private sector and the impracticality of individual research. However, there is a minor truncation in the paragraph discussing independent individuals ('massive teams of special.'), which leaves one idea slightly under-developed. Despite this small omission, the response successfully covers the prompt and justifies the position with relevant examples such as vaccine development during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the introduction to the private sector, the individual sector, the government sector, and finally a balanced conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different facets of the argument. Referencing is generally clear, and although the sentence about individual researchers trails off abruptly, the overall flow and coherence of the essay remain largely unaffected.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient and generally precise range of vocabulary suitable for an academic response. Less common items such as 'cutting-edge infrastructure', 'scientific objectivity', 'socioeconomic classes', and 'safeguard public health' are employed appropriately. Word choice and collocations are handled well, though there is one noticeable lexical error in the incomplete phrase 'massive teams of special' where a noun like 'specialists' was clearly intended. Nevertheless, the lexical resource is flexible enough to allow precise conveyance of ideas without communication ever being impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a good variety of complex structures, including conditional and participial clauses such as 'While individual researchers and private corporations contribute significantly...' and 'Driven by market competition, pharmaceutical corporations can develop...'. The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled correctly. Control over grammar is strong throughout most of the text, with only the sentence fragment or truncated clause regarding independent individuals disrupting grammatical completeness at that specific point. Overall, the grammatical control easily supports a band 7 rating.

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