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IELTS-style writing: a Task 2 essay on education

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Independent practice in the IELTS Academic Task 2 style, not an official test: study a model essay, practise cohesion and hedging, then write your own.

Cohesion, register and hedging

Choose the best option to complete or improve each sentence in an essay.

___ these qualities will become more valuable, technical knowledge cannot safely be ignored.
- a) While
- b) Because
- c) Unless
- d) So
Choose the most carefully hedged sentence.
- a) Technical skills will definitely become less important.
- b) Technical skills are certainly going to disappear.
- c) Technical skills might well become less important in the long run.
- d) Technical skills must become less important.
Rule-based tasks are easy to automate. ___, creative work is far harder for machines to imitate.
- a) As a result
- b) Similarly
- c) By contrast
- d) For this reason
Which sentence is most suitable for a formal essay?
- a) Kids today are glued to their phones, which is rubbish.
- b) Everybody knows screens ruin children's brains.
- c) Screens are bad, full stop.
- d) It is widely believed that young people spend too much time on screens.
___ the cost, many schools have introduced coding lessons.
- a) Although
- b) However
- c) Despite
- d) Unless
___, I believe the benefits of the proposal outweigh the drawbacks.
- a) For example
- b) On balance
- c) Firstly
- d) Meanwhile
Choose the most carefully worded statement.
- a) Technology always improves results.
- b) Technology never fails.
- c) Technology is the only solution.
- d) Technology tends to improve results when it is used well.
Pupils could learn teamwork through group projects. ___ approach would also keep the technical content in the curriculum.
- a) These
- b) This
- c) Those
- d) Such

Complete the phrase

Type one word to complete each phrase from an essay.

To a certain ___, I agree with this view.
It could be ___ that schools place too much emphasis on examinations.
On the one hand, digital tools save time; on the ___ hand, they may weaken some skills.
Some people claim that technology makes us lazy; ___, the evidence for this is limited.
The argument has some ___, but I am not fully convinced by it.
All things ___, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Writing task

Some people believe that university education should be available to everyone who wants it, whereas others think that places should be limited to the most able students. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Write at least 250 words.

250–320 words

Check your writing

I answered every part of the question: both views and my own opinion.
My position is clear in the introduction and consistent in the conclusion.
Each body paragraph has one main idea, a clear topic sentence and developed support.
I used a range of linking devices and referring words without overusing them.
I hedged claims where necessary instead of making absolute statements.
I used precise vocabulary and a mix of simple and complex sentences, and I checked spelling and punctuation.

Answer key

Cohesion, register and hedging

a) WhileWhile introduces a concession: the writer accepts one point and then states a contrasting one.
c) Technical skills might well become less important in the long run.Might well and in the long run express a reasoned possibility rather than a certainty.
c) By contrastThe second sentence contrasts with the first, so By contrast is needed.
d) It is widely believed that young people spend too much time on screens.It is widely believed that is impersonal and measured; the others are informal or overgeneralised.
c) DespiteDespite is followed by a noun phrase (the cost). Although needs a full clause.
b) On balanceOn balance signals a considered overall judgement, which suits a conclusion.
d) Technology tends to improve results when it is used well.Tends to and the condition when it is used well avoid an absolute claim.
b) ThisThis approach refers back to the whole idea in the previous sentence. These and Those need a plural noun, and Such would need an article: Such an approach.

Complete the phrase

extent / degreeTo a certain extent (or degree) is a common hedging phrase.
argued / said / claimed / suggested / contendedIt could be argued that introduces a point cautiously, without the writer fully committing to it.
otherThe fixed pair is on the one hand ... on the other hand.
however / nevertheless / nonethelessThe second clause contrasts with the first, so a contrasting linker is needed after the semicolon.
merit / merits / validity / substance / force / weight / appealHas some merit (or weight, validity, force) is a typical way of conceding a point before disagreeing.
consideredAll things considered is a fixed concluding phrase.

Model answer

The question of who should be admitted to university is far from straightforward. Some argue that every willing applicant deserves a place, while others believe that places should be reserved for the most able. In my view, both positions contain part of the truth, but a system based on ability alone is more likely to waste potential than to protect standards.

Those who favour open access make a principled argument. Education improves earning power and personal confidence, so restricting it can deepen existing inequalities. Moreover, ability at eighteen is not a fixed quantity: many people who perform modestly at school flourish once they find a subject that interests them. Open access also allows adults who change career later in life to retrain.

On the other hand, there are practical limits. Teaching resources are finite, and large classes may reduce the quality of teaching for everyone. Employers, too, rely on degrees as an indicator of competence, and that signal could lose its value if qualifications were awarded without any selection. It is therefore understandable that some institutions wish to limit entry.

Nevertheless, selection need not be based on a single examination. Universities could consider a wider range of evidence, such as projects, interviews and previous work experience, and could offer foundation courses to students who need extra support. Such measures would protect standards without closing doors prematurely.

In conclusion, I believe that places should be widely available, but that access should be accompanied by support, so that opportunity does not become a promise that cannot be kept.