Some people believe that university students should pay all the cost of their studies, while others think that higher education should be free. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Sample Response
The question of who should bear the financial burden of higher education is widely debated in many societies. Some argueadvocate that university students should cover all their educational expensescover their entire educational expenses, while others argue for completely free higher education. This essay will examine both perspectives before stating my own positionpresenting my own position on this issue.
Those who support student-funded education maintain that individuals are the primary beneficiaries of their degrees and should therefore invest in their own futures. When students pay for their education, they often develop a stronger commitment to their studies and appreciate the value of their educationappreciate the value of what they are receiving. For instance, research from several universities shows that self-fundedfinancing students tend to complete their courses more promptlycomplete their courses with fewer delays and demonstrate higher levels of engagementdemonstrate higher engagement levels. Moreover, student-funded educationprivately funded education reduces the burden on taxpayers, many of whom will never directly benefit from university facilities or services.
Conversely, proponents of free higher education emphasize its broader societal benefits and role in promoting equality of opportunity. When financial barriers are removed, talented individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds can access tertiary education, creating a more diverse and skilled workforce. Countries like Germany and Norway, which offer free university education, have demonstrated that this approach can lead to high levels of social mobility and economic innovation. Furthermore, societies with highly educated populations tend to have lower crime rates, better public health outcomes, and greatermore civic engagement.
After weighing these arguments, I believe that while students should make a financial contribution toward their educationcontribute something toward their education to encourageensure commitment, the bulk of higher education costs should be publicly funded. A hybrid model with modest fees alongside extensive scholarships and income-contingent loansmodest fees supplemented by extensive scholarships and income-contingent loans would maintain quality while ensuring that financial circumstances do not prevent capable students from accessing education that benefits society as a whole.
Why this response received Band 8.5
The essay fully addresses both views and presents a nuanced, practical position, supported by relevant reasoning and examples. Its strongest feature is the controlled integration of argument, evidence, and evaluation across a highly coherent structure; the main limitation is that a few empirical claims are presented broadly. The highest-priority refinement is to qualify those claims or explain their relevance more precisely, deepening an already persuasive response.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both perspectives are thoroughly developed, and the writer's balanced position is clear, specific, and convincingly justified.
Qualify the broad research and country examples slightly so that every supporting claim is as rigorous as the central argument.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is exceptionally well organised, with seamless progression within and between paragraphs and consistently effective cohesion.
Consider making the opening roadmap less formulaic to achieve an even more natural transition into the substantive discussion.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and natural throughout, with sophisticated topic-specific choices used flexibly and accurately.
Maintain this precision while varying a few repeated education-related terms to add subtle stylistic breadth.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A full range of complex structures is used accurately and naturally, with consistently controlled punctuation and sentence formation.
Preserve this level of control while experimenting with slightly more concise sentence patterns where emphasis would benefit from brevity.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people believe that university students should pay all the cost of their studies, while others think that higher education should be free. Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.