Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Some people argue that subjects offered by the universities should be filled by equal numbers of male and female students. However, since it is already the 21st centuryit is already 21st century and gender does not seem to begender seems to be not a significant issue anymorea big deal anymore, in my opinionthus, in my opinion it is no longer about accepting an equal number of men and women in every subject but it is more about giving equal opportunities to bothgiving an equal opportunity for both male and female students to choose what they want to study.
To begin with, everyone has the right to educationthe right to the education and in fact attending a university needs much more consideration to take. All students, including male and female, who want to go to a university tend to put considerable effort into preparing for admissionput a lot of effort preparing their entrance. Since no one can choose which sex they were born aswhat sex they were born to be, it will be unfairthen it will be really unfair if the universities consider gender as a criteriongender as the criteria in accepting students.
Besides, nowadays men and women can take any job, learn any skill and study any major that they want to. For instance, engineering programmessectors now welcome both male and female studentsmen and women students. Another example is fashion industry which, although apparentlywhich is though apparently more dominated by male designers, women can easily pursuepick a career in this sector as well. As a result, there is no limit on either sexno limit for particular sex to take over one particular field and universities should consideruniversity should take a look at it as a reason to create more opportunities for both gendersopen more chances for both genders.
Therefore, in conclusion, male and female need to be more encouraged to study based on their interest and capability rather than a stigma of which one is the best for them according to their gender.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The essay maintains a clear, relevant position that universities should guarantee equal opportunity rather than impose equal male and female numbers in every subject. Its strongest point is the merit-based argument that gender should not determine admission, supported by examples of access across fields. The main limitation is uneven development and frequent awkward language; prioritise explaining how fixed quotas could conflict with applicant numbers and merit, using one accurate subject-based example.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
A clear disagreement position is sustained and supported by relevant ideas about equal opportunity, merit, and freedom of subject choice, though examples are not fully developed.
Explain directly why a compulsory fifty-fifty intake could exclude stronger applicants when interest or application numbers differ by subject.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay follows a logical introduction–reason–example–conclusion sequence, and each paragraph has a recognisable purpose despite some loose internal links.
Give the second body paragraph a clearer topic sentence about unrestricted career choice and connect each example explicitly to admissions policy.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate for gender, education, admissions, and careers, but frequent unnatural collocations reduce precision.
Use equal representation, admission criteria, prepare for entrance examinations, field of study, equal access, and based on interest and ability.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A mix of simple and complex sentences communicates the argument, but agreement, articles, clause structure, pronouns, and punctuation contain recurring errors.
Correct forms such as the twenty-first century, gender is no longer decisive, criterion, students of both sexes, and universities should offer.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.