Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-20

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 7.0)

In contemporary society, most of the medicine related research is being done by privatised institutions. Whether medical research should be carried out by private companies, individuals or government, has become part of a heated debate in current era. Medical research is the cornerstone to public and societal well being. I strongly believe that government should be responsible to undertake all medical research as that would be the most beneficial outcome.

Private companies are the most prevalent in medical research nowadays as they have cutting edge technologies and state-of-the-art tools that allow them to conduct efficient research in record time. However, their main goal and sole purpose to conduct medical research is to make profit, gain capital venture and generate wealth as welfare of society is of secondary importance to them. They are also less likely to take part in research that takes a long time or have no immediate returns. Medicines released as result of private company research tend to be more expensive than government made releases. So, medical research should be the responsibility of government as that would be the most beneficial for society. For example, companies like Pfizer generated millions during Covid-19 by doing medical research and having contracts with countries around the world.

There have been many luminaries and pioneers over the centuries that have conducted individual research and contributed to the progress and welfare of mankind namely, Alexander Fleming who discovered Penicillin, which has led to the salvation of millions of lives ever since. Also Jabar-Bin-Hayan and other researchers have taken part in the golden age of medicine to give humanity the building blocks for modern medical infrastructure. However, nowadays medical research requires considerable capital, manpower and assets, which are less likely to be possessed by sole individuals, so research should be carried out by government for the positive progress of society.

Medical research should be the sole responsibility of the government and policy makers as they are taxing the people and that tax should be used for the welfare of the society. The Government can take part in projects that do not have immediate returns on capital and investment, therefore can benefit mankind in the long run. For instance, during Covid-19 many governments around the world contributed and collaborated to invest in research to make sure the panacea to the plague was found.

In conclusion, while both individuals and private institutions can undertake efficient and quality research, I personally believe that government should be responsible for medical analysis, but a collaboration among the three parties would be the ideal case scenario, so society can grow and progress in a positive way.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you argue that government should lead medical research, and you return to this view in the body and conclusion. You address all three options, explaining the profit motive and resources of private companies, the historical contributions of individuals, and the government’s capacity to fund long-term work. Examples such as Pfizer and Covid-19 help support the discussion. The main limitation is that some claims are broad or not fully explained—for instance, the assertion that privately developed medicines tend to cost more would be stronger with a brief explanation or evidence. The conclusion also introduces collaboration among all three parties, which slightly qualifies your earlier claim that research should be the government’s sole responsibility. Clarifying this relationship would make the argument more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs on private companies, individuals and government, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “However,” “For example,” and “In conclusion” help readers track the argument. This is a coherent arrangement, with relevant ideas grouped into paragraphs. To make the flow more consistently smooth, reduce repeated statements that government should be responsible, particularly at the end of the private-company paragraph and again in the government paragraph. Some links between examples and the main claim could also be made more explicit. The final shift from government responsibility to collaboration is understandable, but a clearer transition explaining how collaboration fits your position would strengthen cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a good range of topic-specific vocabulary, including “cutting-edge technologies,” “immediate returns,” “capital, manpower and assets,” and “long-term” benefits. These choices allow you to discuss funding, incentives and research capacity with some precision. There is also an effort to use less common language, such as “luminaries” and “pioneers,” although “luminaries” sounds overly grand in this context. A few collocations and expressions are less natural: “gain capital venture” and “government made releases” do not communicate the intended ideas smoothly, while “medical analysis” is not an accurate substitute for medical research. Prefer established phrases such as “generate returns,” “government-funded medicines,” and “medical research.” More consistent, natural collocation would make the vocabulary more flexible and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

You demonstrate a useful variety of sentence forms, including complex clauses such as “as they have cutting edge technologies…” and “as they are taxing the people…”. Many sentences are clear and grammatically controlled, and punctuation generally supports the meaning. A few errors persist in longer constructions. In the opening question, the comma after “government” is unnecessary; “research should be carried out” is the subject of the clause. In “research that takes a long time or have no immediate returns,” the verb should agree with “research” (“has”). The phrase “Medicines released as result” needs an article (“as a result”), and “a collaboration among the three parties would be the ideal case scenario” would be more natural as “an ideal scenario.” Check agreement, articles and punctuation when revising complex sentences.

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