Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries not enough students are choosing to study science at university. What are the causes of this? What effects does it have on society?

Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

It is argued that in multiple countries not enough students are choosing to study science at university level. This can be because of poor education at higher level. Society can suffer in a area of science due to this change.

Not choosing to study science by students in higher education institutions can because of multiple reasons. One main cause for this dramatic shift is a quality of education. Many universities focus only on theoritical content instead of providing labs for practical work. Due to these deficiencies, students struggle to work in an office. Another reason for this change is high amount of fee. Due to these extra charges, many students can not afford the expenses of universities. For example, if students are unable to gain enough knowledge at university level which is important for them to work in future and build their strong careers, they will not waste their time and money at such institutions.

This change can effect the society in a negative way. If students are not working in the field of science such as technology, medical sciences or chemical sciences, the society can face deficiency in the production. If students are not paying attention to build useful softwares, to create medical products, that society will be left behind by the world. Job oppurtunities will decrease and career of students will be on risk. So it is crucial to imporve the quality of education system to compete with the world trends.

In conclusion, not choosing science by students is because lack of modern and practical syllabus for courses. This can risk the future of students as well as whole society. However, this impact can be overcome by working on quality of education.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you identify educational quality and university fees as causes, then discuss possible effects such as shortages in science-related production and society falling behind. The examples of technology and medical products are relevant. However, the explanation is only partly developed. The link between theoretical teaching and students’ reluctance to study science is not fully clear, and the claim that students will struggle to work in an office does not directly explain the effect on science careers. The effects section also makes broad claims about fewer job opportunities without showing how this follows from reduced science enrolment. Develop each cause-and-effect link more precisely and support it with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for causes and effects, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the main topics. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the discussion moves from practical laboratory work to office employment, then to fees and career-building without fully connecting these points. Linking phrases such as “Another reason” and “In conclusion” are useful, but some connections are mechanical, and repeated references to “this change” are not always precise. The conclusion also repeats the main points rather than bringing the argument together. Make each paragraph follow a clearer sequence—claim, explanation, and example—and use specific references to show exactly which cause or effect you mean.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “theoretical content,” “practical work,” “medical sciences,” and “production,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the argument less natural. For example, “a quality of education” and “high amount of fee” are not idiomatic, while “deficiency in the production” is unclear in this context. There are also spelling errors such as “theoritical,” “oppurtunities,” and “imporve.” Aim for more precise academic phrasing and check spelling carefully. Using accurate terms for science graduates, research, and skilled workers would help you explain the social effects more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “If students are not working in the field of science … the society can face deficiency.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to follow. For example, “can because of multiple reasons” is missing a grammatical element, and “Not choosing to study science by students … can because” has an unclear sentence structure. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and verb forms, as in “a area” and “This change can effect.” Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles and verb forms. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas easier to understand.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.