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Opinion (Agree / Disagree) Education Task 2

Some people believe that governments should pay the full course fees for students who want to study in universities. Do you agree or disagree with thí statement?

A full IELTS Writing Task 2 answer to this question, with a paragraph plan, ideas you can use, and the vocabulary that fits this topic.

The question

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Some people believe that governments should pay the full course fees for students who want to study in universities. Do you agree or disagree with thí statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

How to read this question

You are given one statement and asked how far you agree. The examiner is checking that you take a clear position in the introduction and hold it consistently to the conclusion — a partial agreement is fine, an unclear one is not.

Paragraph plan

Introduction — Paraphrase the prompt, then state a clear but conditional position. The student agreed broadly; a conditional position is stronger here.

Body 1 — Main argument in favour — focus on the strongest reason, with a specific and logical explanation.

Body 2 — Introduce the condition or limitation — a fully free-for-all policy has drawbacks; target-based funding is more defensible.

Conclusion — Restate the conditional position from the introduction without introducing new arguments.

Model essay

Band 8.5–9.0 model essay

329 words

It is argued that governments should cover the entire cost of tuition for all university students. In my view, while state-funded education can substantially expand access to higher learning, providing full funding indiscriminately to every student is not the most effective or sustainable policy.

To begin, fully subsidised tuition would considerably increase access to higher education for talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds. To clarify, many capable individuals are currently deterred from pursuing university study purely due to financial constraints, regardless of their academic potential. By eliminating tuition costs entirely, governments would ensure that admission decisions are based solely on merit rather than a family's ability to pay. For instance, a gifted student from a low-income household who might otherwise abandon academic ambitions to enter the workforce early could instead pursue a medical or engineering degree, ultimately benefiting both themselves and the wider economy through their eventual professional contribution.

However, extending full funding indiscriminately to every student, irrespective of financial need or academic performance, would place unsustainable strain on public budgets. This is attributable to the fact that governments already allocate substantial resources to healthcare, infrastructure and social welfare, and diverting excessive funds toward blanket tuition coverage could compromise these essential services. Moreover, when education is entirely free regardless of merit, some students may undervalue the opportunity and demonstrate reduced commitment to their studies, since they bear no personal financial stake in the outcome. A more sustainable alternative would involve means-tested subsidies or merit-based scholarships, ensuring that public funds are directed toward those who genuinely need financial assistance or who demonstrate strong academic promise, rather than extending identical support to those with no genuine financial need.

To conclude, although fully funding tuition can meaningfully broaden access to higher education for disadvantaged students, I believe governments should adopt targeted, needs-based support rather than universal funding, thereby balancing educational access with fiscal responsibility and sustained student commitment.

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Ideas & vocabulary for this topic

Ideas you can use

  • Introduction: Paraphrase the claim and state the balanced position: partial agreement favouring targeted rather than universal funding.
  • Body 1: Argue that full funding widens access for talented low-income students, illustrated by a gifted student able to pursue a medical degree instead of entering the workforce early.
  • Body 2: Give the exception: universal funding is fiscally unsustainable and can reduce student commitment, so means-tested or merit-based support is preferable.
  • Conclusion: Restate the balanced, needs-based funding position that combines access with fiscal responsibility.
Word or phraseMeaningUsed in a sentence
subsidisedpartly paid for by someone else, such as the governmentfully subsidised tuition would considerably increase access to higher education for talented students
disadvantagedlacking money, opportunities or resources that others havefully subsidised tuition would considerably increase access to higher education for talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds
meritquality of being good or deserving based on ability or achievementgovernments would ensure that admission decisions are based solely on merit rather than a family's ability to pay
indiscriminatelywithout careful judgement or making distinctionsextending full funding indiscriminately to every student... would place unsustainable strain on public budgets
unsustainablenot able to be maintained over timeextending full funding indiscriminately to every student... would place unsustainable strain on public budgets
means-testedassessed according to a person's income or financial needa more sustainable alternative would involve means-tested subsidies or merit-based scholarships
fiscal responsibilitythe careful and sustainable management of public moneybalancing educational access with fiscal responsibility and sustained student commitment
commitmentdedication to a task or causesome students may undervalue the opportunity and demonstrate reduced commitment to their studies

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