Many universities charge higher fees for foreign students. Why do they do this? Do you believe that it is fair?
Sample Response
Many foreign universities have a dual policy in case of their tuition fees as they charge foreign students higher than the local students. International students often need to pay up to 400 percent more than local students when it comes to higher education in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK. This is also the case in many other countries and a government's obligation to its citizens, enforcing national privilege, tax payment by the local people and restricting the numbers of international students are the main reasons, I believe. To begin with, different tuition fees for local and international students gives an impression that ‘you are not equal’ and when we are fighting for the equal rights in every country, the discrimination in the university tuition fee seems like an unfair one. However, the university authority often states that this is a policy that actually ensures better educational environment and fairness in the university campuses. First reason they mention for the different higher education fees is the government’s obligation to its citizens. A government has a natural obligation to education its citizens while educating foreign students is not a direct obligation it has. This also ensures that a government is enforcing the national privilege to its citizens while using the extra money earned from the international students for the improvement of the university education. Third, citizens of a country pay the tax to the government and thus should get the privilege in educating their next generation. Finally, higher university education costs help to control the international students' flow in a country. To conclude, providing some opportunities to the local university students is not a bad idea but imposing up to 5x charges to the international students is an unfair policy in my opinion. It's unbelievable how far the university authorities are willing to push international students to get their pay and earn the extra money. In this age of globalisation and equal rights, this is not justified at all.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Clarify reference Original: foreign universities Suggested revision: universities abroad Why it matters: This wording makes the geographical relationship clearer.
- 2. Use precise phrase Original: a dual policy in case of their tuition fees Suggested revision: a two-tier tuition-fee policy Why it matters: The original phrase is awkward and does not clearly describe differentiated fees.
- 3. Correct comparison Original: charge foreign students higher than the local students Suggested revision: charge foreign students more than local students Why it matters: Use “more than” to compare the amounts charged.
- 4. Clarify meaning Original: enforcing national privilege Suggested revision: prioritising citizens Why it matters: This phrase expresses the intended policy preference more naturally.
- 5. Use plural noun Original: tax payment by the local people Suggested revision: tax payments by local people Why it matters: The general reference requires the plural form “payments.”
- 6. Fix number phrase Original: numbers Suggested revision: number Why it matters: Use singular “the number of” for the size of one group.
- 7. Fix subject agreement Original: gives Suggested revision: give Why it matters: The plural subject “fees” requires the plural verb “give.”
- 8. Remove article Original: the equal rights Suggested revision: equal rights Why it matters: The general concept “equal rights” does not take “the” here.
- 9. Improve noun phrase Original: the discrimination in the university tuition fee Suggested revision: discrimination in university tuition fees Why it matters: The general reference is clearer without the articles and with plural “fees.”
- 10. Use natural wording Original: seems like an unfair one Suggested revision: seems unfair Why it matters: The pronoun “one” has no clear countable noun to replace.
- 11. Use plural noun Original: the university authority Suggested revision: university authorities Why it matters: The statement refers generally to the people who govern universities.
- 12. Add article Original: better educational environment Suggested revision: a better educational environment Why it matters: The singular countable noun phrase requires an article.
Suggested Rewrites
- foreign universities universities abroad
- a dual policy in case of their tuition fees a two-tier tuition-fee policy
- charge foreign students higher than the local students charge foreign students more than local students
- enforcing national privilege prioritising citizens
- tax payment by the local people tax payments by local people
- numbers number
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response clearly answers both questions, presenting several reasons for differential fees and maintaining a firm view that extreme charges are unfair. Its main limitation is presentation: the essay appears as one dense paragraph, and frequent awkward collocations and grammatical slips reduce precision. The highest-priority improvement is to separate and develop the reasons logically, then express each one in more natural, accurately controlled language.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both the reasons for higher fees and the fairness question are directly addressed, with a clear position and several relevant explanations, though some points remain general.
Develop the strongest justification, such as taxpayer subsidy, with a clearer explanation before evaluating why a four- or fivefold difference is unfair.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument has a recognisable sequence from reasons to judgement, but the absence of paragraphing and the inconsistent sequence “First,” “Third,” and “Finally” weaken organisation.
Use separate paragraphs for the universities’ reasons and the fairness evaluation, with a complete and consistent progression of supporting points.
Lexical Resource
The essay uses a reasonable range of policy and education vocabulary, but recurring collocation problems reduce naturalness and precision.
Use standard expressions such as charge higher fees, subsidise domestic students, limit international enrolment, and generate additional revenue.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex structures is attempted and meaning stays clear, but agreement, articles, prepositions, and noun forms are frequently inaccurate.
Check subject-verb agreement and verb-noun forms, particularly in phrases such as “fees give,” “obligation to educate,” and “charges for international students.”
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Many universities charge higher fees for foreign students. Why do they do this? Do you believe that it is fair?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.