Model Answer - Ielts Writing (Task 2)

Universities should accept equal numbers of male and female students in every subject.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Modern universities are no longer male dominated institutions for higher learning. Female students can be found in lecture halls following subjects that were previously reserved for male students. Today it is common for women to study all subjects ranging from medicine and architecture to law and engineering.

In our era which promotes equality between the sexes and affirmative action, some would argue in favour of equal numbers of male and females studying in every subject. This would mirror trends in society, in which the world outside education is a fairer one following the feminist movements. In terms of ability, women are just as capable of following any subject as men and should be given the opportunity to do so. In academic terms a mixed class would be a balanced one.

On the other hand, university seats shouldn’t be allocated according to gender but according to other factors like demand and supply for a particular course or meeting entry requirements. Some courses like teaching have a large number of female applicants whilst others may not be so popular. I think this has to do with personal preferences rather than social conditioning. Perhaps choosing student based on entry requirement may even work in favour of female students who tend to do better at school than their male counterparts.

I believe the subject a student wishes to follow is a personal choice. Universities should be willing to accept students on their academic ability and skills and not on their gender. Equal access to courses should be provided to all applicants. Rather than exclude women completely from an important area such as education, they should be motivated and encouraged to take part based on their merit.

Cambridge Ielts 5 past papers, p. 30