Equal Numbers of Male and Female University Students

Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Annotated response

4 correction notes

In my opinion, men and women should have the same educational opportunities. However, I do not agree with the idea of accepting equal proportions of each gender in every university subject.

Having the same number of men and women on is simply unrealistic. Student numbers on any course depend on the applications that the institution receives. If a university decided to fill courses with equal numbers of , it would need enough applicants of each gender. In reality, many courses are more popular with one gender than the other, and it would not be practical to aim for equal proportions. For example, nursing courses tend to attract more female applicants, and it would be difficult to fill these courses if fifty per cent of the places needed to go to males.

I also believe that it would be unfair to base admission to university courses on gender. Universities should continue to select the best candidates for each course according to their qualifications. In this way, both men and women have the same opportunities, and applicants know that they will be successful if they work hard to achieve good grades at school. If a female student is the best candidate for a place on a course, it is surely wrong to reject her in favor of a male student with lower grades or fewer qualifications.

In conclusion, the selection of university students should be based on merit, and it would be both impractical and unfair to change to a selection procedure based on gender.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 8.5

The response presents a clear, well-defended disagreement backed by two coherent lines of reasoning: impracticality and unfairness, each developed with relevant explanation and examples. Its main limitation is that the development, while thorough, is compact and could explore counterarguments or further consequences for even greater depth.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

9.0

The position is fully developed and consistently maintained, with each paragraph advancing a distinct, well-supported reason for the disagreement and a clear concluding restatement.

Coherence and Cohesion

8.0

Ideas progress logically across cohesive paragraphs with effective referencing and linking, though transitions are somewhat predictable and the argument follows a conventional rather than nuanced structure.

Lexical Resource

8.0

Vocabulary is precise and natural for the topic, including phrases like 'equal proportions,' 'base admission on gender,' and 'according to their qualifications,' with no noticeable errors, though the range is solid rather than exceptionally wide.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

9.0

Sentence structures are varied and consistently accurate, combining complex conditionals, relative clauses, and modality with full flexibility and only rare minor slips.