In many countries, more and more people want to study at universities.

Practice this IELTS Writing Task 2 question on IELTSX. In many countries, more and more people want to study at universities.

Reasons and impacts of the increasing demand for university education - IELTS Writing Task 2

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

Why does this happen? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Write at least 250 words.

A student's answer to this task, and the feedback on it

Written by an IELTSX user under exam conditions and published unedited and anonymously. Band 6.5 ยท 351 words.

In recent years, people in many countries have begun to attend universities than ever before. This trend can be explained by a number of factors related to social influence and financial pressure. In my opinion, this is largely a positive development.

One reason behind this trend lies in the increasing cost of living and economic uncertainty. In many parts of the world, expenses such as housing, education, and daily necessities have risen significantly, forcing individuals to pay closer attention to their finances. As a result, people are choosing to study in order to build their future careers to supply themselves financially. For example, many hardworking students prepare for admission to prestigious universities because they hope to live in wealthy lifestyle in the future. This demonstrates that financial pressures encourage many people to pursue higher education.

Moreover, social media has also increased people's willingless to attend universities. Online platforms often highlight successful admissions, luxury, and scholarships, encouraging people to compare themselves with others. A case in point is influencers who regularly showcase valuable scholarships, studing abroad, and great success in future life, shaping students' attidutes toward higher education. As this type of content becomes more widespread, individuals are more likely to focus on university admission and field of study in the right place in their daily lives. This suggests that social influence has made a university education a central part of how people evaluate both themselves and others.

As for its impact, this is a positive development because it not only encourages people to develop valuable skills but also can affect people's social life positively. When individuals achieve academic success, they may balance other important aspects of life such as relationships and personal growth. Consequently, while recognizing these benefits, people want to study at university and become successful. Alternatively, people may still suffer from financial problems and the depression caused by stress resulting from the influence of social media.

In conclusion, the increasing tendency to study at universities is driven by financial concerns and social influence, and it is a positive development due to its impact on people's future and mental well-being.

Examiner feedback

The essay effectively addresses the prompt with a clear structure and logical progression. While the arguments regarding financial pressure and social media are well-made, the score is primarily constrained by recurring spelling errors and minor grammatical inaccuracies. To reach a higher band, the writer should focus on refining the development of the 'positive/negative' argument and ensuring greater accuracy in word formation.

Task Response - 7

- Addresses all parts of the task by explaining reasons for the trend and providing an opinion. - Presents a clear position that the development is positive. - Ideas are relevant and supported, though the final body paragraph on impact is somewhat circular and less developed than the reasons.

Coherence & Cohesion - 7

- Logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. - Good use of cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'As a result', and 'In conclusion'. - Clear progression of ideas, though the third body paragraph is slightly less focused than the previous ones.

Lexical Resource - 6

- Adequate range of vocabulary for the task (e.g., 'economic uncertainty', 'prestigious universities'). - Some inaccuracies in word choice and spelling (e.g., 'willingless', 'attidutes', 'studing'). - Attempts at less common lexical items are made but sometimes lack precision in context.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy - 6

- Mix of simple and complex sentences is used effectively. - Several grammatical errors are present, such as 'willingless' (willingness), 'studing' (studying), and 'live in wealthy lifestyle' (live a wealthy lifestyle). - Punctuation is generally good, but word formation errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable.

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