IELTS Essay Bank · Task 2 Academic · Opinion (agree/disagree)
Free University Education: Band 6 Sample Essay
264 words · Topic: Education, Government ·
The question
In some countries, students must pay high tuition fees to attend university, while others believe that governments should make higher education free for every qualified student.
To what extent do you agree or disagree that university education should be free for all?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Band 6 sample essay
Highlighted = useful vocabularyNowadays, university education is very expensive in many countries and a lot of students can not pay the fees. Some people think the government should make university free for everyone who is qualified. I agree with this opinion for several reasons.
Firstly, free education give equal chance to all students. If university is free, poor students can also study and get a good job in the future. For example, in my country many clever students from villages don't go to university because their family don't have enough money. This is unfair and it is a waste of talent. So, free university can solve this problem.
Secondly, when more people have a degree, the country will develop faster. Educated people can work as doctors, engineers and teachers, and they will pay more tax to the goverment. Therefore the money which government spend on universities will come back later. This is very good for the economical growth of the country.
On the other hand, some people say that free university is too expensive for the government and students will not study hard if they don't pay anything. It is true that the government need a lot of money for this. However, I think the government can take this money from other things, for example the military. Also, students must pass an entrance exam to enter university, so they will still study hard.
In conclusion, I agree that university should be free for all qualified students, because it gives equal chance and help the country to develop. But the government should also check that students are serious.
Word count: 264
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Why this is Band 6: criterion by criterion
Task Response
Band 6The essay answers the question and the position ("I agree") is clear from the introduction to the conclusion, which is what keeps it at Band 6 rather than lower. The main ideas — fairness for poorer students and future tax income — are relevant, but they are only partly developed: the funding counter-argument is answered with a single thin suggestion ("take this money from other things, for example the military"), and the conclusion adds a new, unexplained idea ("check that students are serious").
Coherence and Cohesion
Band 6Information is arranged coherently and there is a clear overall progression, with one idea per body paragraph. However, the linking is mechanical — every paragraph opens with a stock connector (Firstly, Secondly, On the other hand, In conclusion) — and referencing is sometimes vague: "this problem" and "this" in the fourth paragraph make the reader work to identify what is meant. This is typical Band 6 cohesion: effective, but faulty or mechanical in places.
Lexical Resource
Band 6The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some less common items such as "a waste of talent" and "pass an entrance exam". Range is limited, though: "free", "government" and "study hard" are repeated, and there are errors in word formation and spelling ("economical growth", "goverment", "can not"). These errors do not stop the reader understanding, which is the Band 6 boundary.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Band 6There is a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditionals ("If university is free, poor students can also study") and relative clauses ("the money which government spend"). Subject–verb agreement errors are frequent ("free education give", "their family don't", "the government need", "it gives … and help"), and articles are sometimes missing. Errors are noticeable but rarely reduce communication, so Band 6 is appropriate.
Useful vocabulary and collocations
- a waste of talent
- natural, accurate collocation; at Band 7+ you might also use untapped potential.
- pay more tax
- correct and clear; a more precise version is contribute more in income tax.
- get a good job
- acceptable but very common; secure well-paid employment shows more range.
- study hard
- correct, but repeated twice; vary it with take their studies seriously.
- pass an entrance exam
- accurate topic phrase that supports the argument about merit.
How this essay could reach Band 7
- 1Develop each main idea with a specific, explained example — for instance, say what happens to the talented village student in the long term, and why that matters for the country.
- 2Replace the stock connectors with linking that shows the relationship between ideas ("A further advantage is that…", "This matters because…") and make every "this" point clearly to one noun.
- 3Fix subject–verb agreement (education gives, the family does not, the government needs) and word forms such as economic growth; these repeated errors are the main thing holding grammar at Band 6.
This is an original sample essay written by IELTS-Bank to illustrate Band 6 against the public IELTS Writing band descriptors. The band scores are our assessment, not an official IELTS result. IELTS-Bank is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia, or Cambridge University Press & Assessment. "IELTS" is a registered trademark of its respective owners and is used here for descriptive purposes only.