Prompt
Essay – University funding
Some people think that universities should focus only on subjects that are useful for future employment, while others believe that universities should also offer courses in subjects that interest students even if they have no direct use in the job market. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Band 9 sample answer
Band 9 sample answer
Sentence-by-sentence analysis
Anatomy of a Band 9 Essay
Read the model answer normally, or switch on the examiner breakdown to see how each sentence contributes to the response.
Analysed against the four IELTS Writing assessment criteria. Each note explains how this specific sentence supports the essay.
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Many argue that universities should prioritise subjects with obvious labour-market value, whereas others contend that higher education should also include courses chosen primarily for students’ intellectual interests. Both positions have merit, but I believe universities should maintain a broad curriculum while ensuring graduates gain employable skills.
Both sides of the prompt are paraphrased in one sentence — not copied, not left out. This is the examiner's first checkpoint: has the candidate understood the whole question, or only half of it?
A clear, single-sentence position. Notice it doesn't just pick a side — "maintain a broad curriculum while ensuring employable skills" previews the actual argument the essay is about to make, so nothing in the body paragraphs will feel unplanned.
Paragraph 2: The case for employability
Those who favour a strictly employment-focused approach point to rising tuition fees and intense competition for jobs. From this perspective, degree programmes ought to produce “work-ready” graduates in fields such as engineering, nursing and computer science, where skills are directly transferable and shortages are common. Concentrating resources on these areas can also make public funding easier to justify, because taxpayers can see clearer economic returns in the form of productivity and higher earnings.
A topic sentence that names the side ("those who favour...") before arguing it. The reader always knows whose view is on screen — a simple habit that keeps a discuss-both-views essay from blurring into one voice.
"work-ready graduates" and "directly transferable" are precise collocations, not vague phrases like "good for jobs". Naming actual fields (engineering, nursing, computer science) also grounds the claim — generic examples score lower than specific ones.
This is the second, deeper reason — not a repeat of sentence one. A Band 9 paragraph extends an idea instead of just restating it: fees and competition (personal reason) is followed by public funding (policy reason).
Paragraph 3: The case for breadth
However, limiting universities to vocationally oriented subjects risks undermining their wider purpose. Disciplines like history, philosophy and literature develop critical thinking, ethical reasoning and communication—abilities that remain valuable across careers, even if the link is indirect. Moreover, student motivation matters: when learners study what genuinely interests them, they often engage more deeply and achieve better outcomes. Finally, today’s job market is unpredictable; narrowly trained graduates may struggle when industries change, whereas broad-based education can build adaptability.
One word — "However" — signals the pivot to the opposing view. It's placed at the very front of the paragraph, so the turn in the argument is felt before the reader even reaches the content.
Notice the em dash controlling a long sentence without it collapsing: two clauses joined cleanly, plus a concessive "even if the link is indirect" tacked on. That's Grammatical Range — not just accuracy, but variety of structure.
A third, different reason again (motivation, not just "value"). Three body reasons across two paragraphs, each genuinely distinct, is what separates a Band 9 response from one that circles the same point three times.
"Finally" closes the list the reader has been tracking since "However" — and the paragraph ends on the strongest, most forward-looking reason (unpredictability), not the weakest. Order is a deliberate choice, not an accident.
Paragraph 4: Opinion & conclusion
In my view, universities should not abandon subjects without immediate job-market utility, but they should embed practical elements across the curriculum. For example, humanities degrees can include data literacy, internships or project-based work with employers. This balance preserves academic breadth while helping graduates translate their knowledge into real employment opportunities.
The opinion doesn't just repeat the introduction — it resolves the tension between the two body paragraphs with one concrete mechanism ("embed practical elements"). That's a real position, not a restated summary.
A specific, plausible example (data literacy, internships) rather than a vague one ("students could get more skills"). Specificity is one of the fastest ways to lift a Task Response score without changing the argument at all.
A one-sentence conclusion that adds a final synthesis ("translate their knowledge into real employment opportunities") instead of just repeating the thesis word-for-word — a common way essays lose marks in the last two lines.
Verified word count: 251
Analysis by IELTS Master editorial review. How this analysis is created and reviewed
Useful vocabulary and phrases
labour-market value
Shows precise, academic phrasing instead of informal alternatives like “good for jobs”.
Some subjects have obvious labour-market value, such as nursing and software development.
work-ready graduates
A common IELTS collocation that fits employability arguments.
Employers often say they need work-ready graduates who can contribute from day one.
directly transferable skills
Adds specificity and supports cause–effect reasoning.
Programming skills are directly transferable to many roles in the tech industry.
justify public funding
Connects education to policy and economics, strengthening argument depth.
Governments want universities to justify public funding through measurable outcomes.
undermine their wider purpose
Signals evaluative, critical writing.
A narrow focus could undermine universities’ wider purpose in society.
ethical reasoning and communication
Shows range beyond generic “soft skills”.
Philosophy strengthens ethical reasoning and communication in professional contexts.
an unpredictable job market
Supports the argument for breadth with a realistic contemporary point.
In an unpredictable job market, adaptability is a key advantage.
embed practical elements
Offers a solution-oriented stance, improving Task Response.
Universities can embed practical elements like internships into humanities degrees.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Discussing only one view and giving an opinion without comparing both sides.
- Equating ‘useful for employment’ only with STEM and ignoring employability skills in other fields.
- Writing a vague conclusion that repeats the prompt without a clear stance.
- Overusing memorised linking phrases that make cohesion sound mechanical.
- Giving examples that are too personal or unrealistic instead of generally plausible academic examples.
Now apply what you have learned
Check your essay for Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
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