University students must pay all costs – recent IELTS essay

University students must pay all costs associated with their education, because it benefits mostly them individually, rather than the society as a whole. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Give your opinion.

Model IELTS essay which could score 9 band in Academic IELTS writing task 2:

University education benefits the student and the society in the long term. Although, the students directly benefit from it, the fees should be either subsidized or fully paid by the government. This is because the society on the whole would gain from the knowledge and skills of the students. It is clear that higher education can determine the economic status of a country. The burden of paying for the higher education is usually borne by the parents of the students in many parts of the world. This trend is changing as more and more students are paying their own fees and getting scholarships.

If the cost of higher education is to be paid solely by the students, then there would be many bright minds losing out on essential education. It is evident that societies that have state sponsored education are more successful than those that don’t. Impoverished countries mainly in south Asia and Africa have long suffered the consequences of not having a well educated work force, especially those who have higher qualifications. Countries that have free education for their students have outperformed those that compel students to pay exhorbitant fees. Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland are a few examples of successful and happy societies where students get state sponsored education. On the otherhand there are countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sudan to name a few that are definitely unhappy nations in many ways.

Overall, the benefits of higher education are enjoyed by the society as well as the individual as all students ultimately contribute to the society, therefore the costs of their education must be paid by the governments or other social organizations.