All education, primary, secondary and further education, should be free to all people and paid for by the government. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Sample Response
Different countries have different education systems. I don‛t know all the education systems in the world but all the ones I do know about have free school education at primary and secondary level. I certainly agree with the statement that this should be the case. I believe university education is different. No matter what standard of income someone has or what society someone comes from, everyone should have the opportunity to have a good standard of education. This is not always what happens but it is what should happen. Private schools can be available for those who want and can afford it but the free schools should always be there. This is certainly one of the best attributes of western democracy and all countries it seems strive to attain situation although some have problems due to the economic and political situations in their countries. Governments should make sure that all their citizens have access to a good standard of free education at primary and secondary level. Further education is different. In an ideal world this should be free but governments have a lot of demands on their money. I think that students should have to pay, maybe not all, but at least a contribution towards their tuition fees. They will be able to earn it back once they have graduated. The UK has this system whereas in the US students have to pay all their high tuition fees which can run into the tens of thousands of dollars over a full course. I am not sure if I agree with this but it certainly would make sure that students make the best of efforts to pass or all their money would be wasted. Therefore I conclude that primary and secondary education should be freely available for all if possible but that further education should not necessarily be wholly free.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct apostrophe Original: I don‛t Suggested revision: I don't Why it matters: The contraction should use a standard apostrophe.
- 2. Add coordinating comma Original: world but all Suggested revision: world, but all Why it matters: A comma is needed before 'but' when it joins two independent clauses.
- 3. Fix pronoun agreement Original: want and can afford it Suggested revision: want them and can afford them Why it matters: The pronouns should agree with the plural noun 'schools'.
- 4. Remove unnecessary article Original: the free schools Suggested revision: free schools Why it matters: The general reference to free schools does not require the definite article.
- 5. Use formal collocation Original: a lot of demands on their money Suggested revision: many competing demands on public funds Why it matters: This phrase states the pressure on government finances more precisely and formally.
- 6. Repair payment structure Original: students should have to pay, maybe not all, but at least a contribution towards their tuition fees Suggested revision: students should have to pay at least part of their tuition fees Why it matters: The replacement gives 'pay' a grammatical and concise object.
- 7. Add contrast comma Original: system whereas Suggested revision: system, whereas Why it matters: A comma should precede 'whereas' when it introduces the contrasting clause.
- 8. Add transition comma Original: Therefore I conclude Suggested revision: Therefore, I conclude Why it matters: The introductory transition 'Therefore' should be followed by a comma.
- 9. Clarify free access Original: freely available for all Suggested revision: available free of charge to everyone Why it matters: The replacement makes the meaning of cost-free access explicit and natural.
- 10. Use concise education term Original: free school education at primary and secondary level Suggested revision: free education at the primary and secondary levels Why it matters: The replacement removes redundancy and makes the two educational levels grammatically parallel.
- 11. Add coordinating comma Original: happens but it Suggested revision: happens, but it Why it matters: A comma is required before 'but' because it joins two independent clauses.
- 12. Clarify continued availability Original: be Suggested revision: remain Why it matters: 'Remain available' expresses the intended continued option more precisely.
Suggested Rewrites
- I don‛t I don't
- world but all world, but all
- want and can afford it want them and can afford them
- the free schools free schools
- a lot of demands on their money many competing demands on public funds
- students should have to pay, maybe not all, but at least a contribution towards their tuition fees students should have to pay at least part of their tuition fees
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response sustains a clear, nuanced position that distinguishes school education from university study and supports it with relevant equity, funding, and international examples. Its main limitation is that several claims remain broad and the single-block structure weakens the separation of the two educational stages. The highest-priority improvement is to build distinct body paragraphs around fully explained reasons, especially the financial case for student contributions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response answers the question with a consistent qualified position and relevant support for both school and further education.
Explain more precisely why government budget pressures justify student contributions and how the proposed arrangement would remain equitable.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses logically from free schooling to paid further education, although the lack of paragraph breaks obscures that structure.
Separate the discussion into an introduction, one body paragraph for each education stage, and a concise conclusion.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a sufficiently varied educational and financial vocabulary, with occasional awkward or imprecise combinations.
Refine collocations and articles in phrases such as attain this situation and make every effort.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and simple sentence forms are used with generally good control, while a few long sentences contain punctuation and article problems.
Divide overloaded sentences and check articles and clause boundaries so that each relationship is expressed cleanly.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
All education, primary, secondary and further education, should be free to all people and paid for by the government. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.