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)

A decrease in students opting for STEM subjects at a university is observed globally. I believe this transition is because science requires sustain efforts, and it will negative impact.

The criteria for getting into a science major in a university is quite tough. Students need to perform extra-ordinary in high school or college to settle for medical or engineering criteria. However, after all rigorous years at a university, many students still need to do masters or a phd to get a better job. On the other hand, business studies graduate start earning just after bachelors and support there families financially. Furthermore, due to an increase in fees of universities especially medical and engineering has made people choose other fields. For example, you could graduate froma business school in fraction of fees at a medical college.

The will negatively impact a society as many countries would lack professionals and no longer scientific discoveries. For instance, USA is calling nurses from all over the world because of shortage of medical professionals. Next generation will have less interest towards sciences and youth will opt any other subjects rather than sciences.

Overall, due to competitive criteria of a university and late earnings played an important role, whereas world would start lacking professionals and technology would be badly affected.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both causes and effects, and your position is identifiable: demanding entry requirements, delayed earnings and high fees discourage students, while shortages of professionals and reduced scientific progress may follow. The comparison between business graduates and science graduates is relevant, as is the example of the USA recruiting nurses. However, the response is under the required 250 words, and several points are asserted rather than explained. For example, the claim that the next generation will lose interest in science needs a clearer link to the current decline, while the effect on scientific discoveries is mentioned but not illustrated. Develop each main point with explanation and a specific example to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, one on effects, and a brief conclusion. This makes the main direction easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Furthermore,” and “For instance” help signal relationships between ideas. Some connections are nevertheless mechanical or unclear. “The will negatively impact a society” does not clearly identify what “The” refers to, and the conclusion combines causes and effects in a compressed sentence. The effects paragraph also moves from professional shortages to future student interest without explaining the connection. Use clearer referencing and add transitions that show how one consequence leads to another.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “STEM subjects,” “medical professionals,” “scientific discoveries,” and “university fees,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “rigorous years” and “financially.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “sustain efforts,” “settle for medical or engineering criteria,” and “late earnings.” Spelling and word-form issues such as “extra-ordinary,” “there families,” and “froma” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations—for example, describe science courses as requiring sustained effort and say that students pursue postgraduate study to improve their career prospects.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “However” and a reason clause beginning “because.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and agreement sometimes make the reader pause. For example, “The criteria … is” has a plural subject with a singular verb, and “The will negatively impact a society” lacks a clear grammatical subject. The sentence beginning “Furthermore, due to an increase in fees … has made people choose” also has an incomplete or mismatched structure. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and clause construction, and proofread each sentence to ensure it has a clear subject and verb.

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