People attend colleges or universities for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge etc.). Why do you think people attend colleges or universities?

Same questionCompare 18 different answers (Band 5.5–8)

Sample Response

1

To succeed in a developing world, weTo face the period of development, as people, we have to compete with othersmake competition with others to achieve what we want and needfor getting what we want and what we need. One thing that people can do is try to obtain higher educationget high education. Nowadays people try to develop their abilities in colleges or universities. In reality, attending a university will help us to become successfulgreat people in the future. There are two reasons why people choosehave to attend a college or university, namely, to achieve their goals and find satisfaction in lifesuch as to reach the desired level and to satisfy their life.

2

Firstly, becoming a success person is a dream to all the people in this world. To achieve our goalsTo reach our destination we definitely need to do something. We should make sacrificesmake a sacrifice to make this happenso that it happens. “Better education, better life”, is a motivation quote and will help us to build our spirit. People will have a huge opportunity if they have a good education. In my experience, some of my uncles havethere are some of my uncles who have prestigious jobs because they have higher education and degree. In reality, all companies need people who have higher qualifications related to their education to join their company.

3

Secondly, in life people need something that will make them satisfied. SatisfactionSatisfying in life is important in people’s livesan important thing in people’s life, which can make them happy. Having higher educational qualificationsHaving the higher qualification in education and having a good job will enable people to contribute to othersmake people useful for others. For instance, when a child in a family becomes successfula child in a family when becomes a success person, theys/he can make the parents proud and can give them happiness. They can also go to some tourism destinations for vacation or buy a house or invest for the futureinvest for future, and so on.

4

In conclusion, attending a college or university is important because it will help us to face the period of development, to appreciate the beauty of the worldto face how beautiful the world is, and most significantly: we can make people proud of us.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 5.5

The response is strongest in its recognizable structure and sustained attempt to explain career success and personal satisfaction as reasons for higher education. Its main limitation is that these ideas remain repetitive, vague, and sometimes weakly connected to university attendance, while frequent language errors reduce precision. The highest priority is to build two clearly distinct reasons with specific causal explanation and express them in simpler, more accurate sentences.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

5.5
Scoring rule

The essay answers the question with two relevant reasons, but their development is repetitive, generalized, and partly unclear.

Next step

Explain separately how university supports career preparation and personal fulfilment, using one concrete example for each reason.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.0
Scoring rule

The paragraph structure and overall progression are clear, although repetition and some vague references weaken cohesion within paragraphs.

Next step

Give each paragraph one precise controlling idea and remove sentences that repeat the same claim without advancing it.

LR

Lexical Resource

5.5
Scoring rule

The response has enough vocabulary to discuss education and success, but frequent word-form and collocation errors limit precision.

Next step

Use accurate combinations such as higher education, successful person, compete with others, and gain qualifications.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

5.5
Scoring rule

Some complex sentences are attempted, but frequent errors with articles, agreement, word forms, and clause construction reduce control.

Next step

Prioritize accurate simple and compound sentences, then check every noun phrase for articles and every clause for a clear subject and verb.

Put the feedback to work

Write this task while it is fresh

Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.

IELTS Writing Task 2

People attend colleges or universities for many different reasons (for example, new experiences, career preparation, increased knowledge etc.). Why do you think people attend colleges or universities?

Your response

Words0
40:00

Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.