IELTS Task 2 discussion essay: University or a job after school
A Task 2 discussion question. Explain both views fairly, then give your own opinion. The question asks for all three, so an essay on one side only answers part of it.
27 students’ essays below, each marked by Axiom, from band 4.5 to 7.5. Updated on 23 October 2026.
The question
Some people believe that studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career, while others believe that it is better to get a job straight after school.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
A plan for this essay
One way to organise an answer, paragraph by paragraph:
- Introduction: introduce both routes, and say which you think suits most people and why it does not suit everyone.
- The case for university: professions that require a degree, specialised knowledge, higher lifetime earnings and useful contacts.
- The case for working straight after school: earning and gaining experience early, no tuition debt, and employers who value proven skills.
- Your opinion and conclusion: the right route depends on the career a person is aiming for.
How answers to this question were marked
Axiom marked 30 answers to this question between 14 June 2024 and 10 June 2026. Their average overall band was 6.5, and coherence & cohesion was most often the weakest criterion (87% of answers). Estimated by AI. It isn’t an official IELTS score.
- Task response
- 6.7
- Coherence & cohesion
- 6.4
- Lexical resource
- 6.8
- Grammar & accuracy
- 6.5
| 5.0 or below | 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5–6.0 | 7 | |
| 6.5–7.0 | 18 | |
| 7.5 or above | 3 |
Students’ essays on this question, marked by Axiom
Real answers, shared without their writers’ names, newest first. Each opens with its revisions marked in place. Estimated by AI. It isn’t an official IELTS score.
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #27
Task response 7.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
People have different views as to whether that studying at university or college is the most reliable way to a successful job, while others believe that starting work…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #26
Task response 7.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 6.0
While some individuals believe that studying at university or college is the best way to be successful on their job, others argue that find a job right after the school…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #25
Task response 7.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
Since the literacy rate of people has been significantly increased, a lot of people are applying for higher education. For some, getting a job immediately after school…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.5
Essay #24
Task response 8.0, coherence 8.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
Some believe that if people get a higher education, there is a bigger chance of career opportunities, while others believe people should find a job right after graduating…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #23
Task response 7.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 6.0
People have different views as to whether the key to success is studying at university or college or beginning to get a job after school. While both arguments play…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 5.5
Essay #22
Task response 6.0, coherence 5.0, vocabulary 6.0, grammar 6.0
People have different views as to whether the success’s key solution is studying at university or college or beginning get a job after a school. While both arguments play…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #21
Task response 7.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 6.0
It is believed that best way of having successful career is to study in universities or colleges, while some individuals think that working after graduating school is…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.0
Essay #20
Task response 6.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 6.0
Some say that graduating universities or collages is the best way to achieve success while others think being employed after school is beneficial. Personally, I agree…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #19
Task response 7.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
The question of whether young individuals should study in tertiary education or not has long been a topic of debate, with some believing that it is the best way to…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.5
Essay #18
Task response 7.0, coherence 8.0, vocabulary 8.0, grammar 8.0
When they finish school, teenagers face the dilemma of whether to get a job or continue their education. While there are some benefits to getting a job straight after…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #17
Task response 7.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
In recent times, people have different views as to whether studying at institutions or high school can offer successful careers for school graduates or getting an…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #16
Task response 6.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
When teenagers finish school, they face the dilemma of whether to start working or continue their education. While getting a job right away has some advantages, I believe…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #15
Task response 7.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
Individuals have different views on the choice between pursuing higher education or immediate employment after school, which leads to a more successful career. While…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 4.5
Essay #14
Task response 5.0, coherence 4.0, vocabulary 5.0, grammar 4.0
In the modern life, many people believe that learning at the university college is a good direction, successful per stage, in addition to while some just believe that it…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.0
Essay #13
Task response 6.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 6.0, grammar 6.0
When they finish school, teenagers face the dilemma of whether to get a job or continue their education. While there are several benefits to get a job straight after…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #12
Task response 7.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
Some people think that to succeed in their career, getting a job straight after graduating from school is the best path to choose. While I admit that it has potential…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.5
Essay #11
Task response 8.0, coherence 8.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
Some people believe that studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career. While others believe that it is better to get a job straight after…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #10
Task response 7.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
It is indeed becoming increasingly common for some proponents arguing that continuing education through undergraduate or graduate studies after finishing high school is a…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #9
Task response 6.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
After finishing school some people are going to study at university or college but some people decide to get a job straightaway. In this essay, I will discuss both views…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.0
Essay #8
Task response 6.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 6.0
These days it is said by many individuals that, people should study at university or college after school for their future, while others say that, it is better to find a…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.0
Essay #7
Task response 6.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 6.0, grammar 6.0
Every coin has two sides, and so are the people. These days, many people are divided into two groups, and therefore university education has become a topic of debate…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.0
Essay #6
Task response 6.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 6.0
There is a debate over which way is the best to get successful career, some people saying studying at university or college is the best way to gain successful career,…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.0
Essay #5
Task response 6.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 6.0
Many individuals think that graduating university/college is the best way to achieve success in the future, while others believe that they should work after finishing…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #4
Task response 7.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
There is an argument about the importance of a university degree whether it can lead to success in a career or not. There are not only many successful businessmen who did…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #3
Task response 7.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
Nowadays, one of the most concerned questions by individuals is: What is the best way to achieve a delightful career? Is it important to get a bachelor's degree at a…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 6.5
Essay #2
Task response 7.0, coherence 6.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
It is believed that in order to gain career with huge success, people should study at higher education while the same is true for starting work after graduating school.…
Overall band, an AI estimate: 7.0
Essay #1
Task response 8.0, coherence 7.0, vocabulary 7.0, grammar 7.0
Career ladder - admittedly - has been on the public discourse over the recent decades. Some assert that it is more effective to seek employment after school graduation ,…
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