Amid the rising costs of higher education, an increasingly heated debate has emerged: is the core mission of universities to equip students with practical employment skills that serve the economy, or should they focus on cultivating well-rounded individuals with critical thinking and broad cultural literacy? As more graduates face employment pressure, should university curricula significantly reduce humanities disciplines in favor of technical training and career-oriented subjects? Please articulate your position on this issue, supporting your argument with specific reasons and examples.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Band Descriptors
Task Response: Address all parts of the task, present a clear position, support ideas with evidence
Coherence and Cohesion: Logical paragraphing, clear progression, appropriate linking devices
Lexical Resource: Wide range of vocabulary, accurate and natural collocations
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Variety of sentence structures, error-free grammar
Overall band score is 0-9, each criterion weighted equally.
Answering Tips
Spend 5 minutes planning your position and main arguments
Use the structure: Introduction - Body 1 - Body 2 - Concession - Conclusion
Develop each body paragraph with: topic sentence + explanation + example + summary
Use a variety of linking words, avoid repetition
Reserve 5 minutes at the end to check grammar and spelling