Is a university degree worth what it costs?
A strong Part 3 answer takes a position in the first clause, supports it with one reason and one concrete case, and then names where it stops being true. Around a minute.
The question, as the examiner gives it
Is a university degree worth what it costs?
no preparation, about 1 minute to speak
A band 7 to 8 answer
About 128 words at a natural pace — roughly what 60 seconds holds.
Answer it yourself first
Record your own answer first. A model you have read three times comes out with a flattened rhythm, and examiners are trained to hear exactly that. Read it afterwards for the vocabulary and the shape, not to memorise the sentences.On average yes, and the average conceals almost everything interesting. Certain degrees at certain institutions repay the cost several times over and others do not repay it at all, and an eighteen year old is being asked to make that distinction with very little information. What I would criticise is the framing rather than the institution. A degree is sold as an investment, and if that is the claim then the return should be published honestly for each course. Some universities do this now and the numbers are uncomfortable. I would also say that treating it purely financially misses something. There is a case for studying a subject because it is worth knowing, though I am aware that is much easier to say when somebody else is paying.
The words that earn marks
Each one links to how it is pronounced.
- conceals
the precise verb for what an average hides
- institutions
four syllables with the stress on the third
- distinction
three syllables with the stress on the second
- framing
the noun for how a question is presented
- investment
three syllables with the stress on the second
- published
past participle with an audible ending
- purely
adverb that narrows the criticism
How a strong answer is built
- 1Answer on average, then undercut the average.
- 2Say what the individual is actually being asked to do.
- 3Criticise the framing and propose a remedy.
- 4Add a non-financial consideration, honestly hedged.
Sounds to watch
The ones this answer leans on most.
Straight answers
How long should my answer to “Is a university degree worth what it costs?” be?
About 60 seconds. Long enough for the answer plus a reason or an example, short enough that the examiner can get through the rest of the set.
Should I memorise the model answer?
No. Record your own version first, then read the model for the shape and the vocabulary. A memorised answer changes rhythm and pace noticeably, and examiners are trained to hear it — it usually costs more than the better wording gains.
Does sayit score this answer?
It scores what a microphone can observe: an estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.
What the band on your result means
An estimate from fluency and pronunciation only — not an official band, and not a mark for vocabulary or grammar.One question a day until your test
A free account remembers every take, so you watch a trend instead of a single answer, and it picks tomorrow's question for you.