Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-07

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)

In recent years, students are not choosing to study science subjects at university level. This happens mainly because science is a difficult subject and offer lower starting salaries to fresh graduate, which can lead to shortage of doctors and engineers in society.

On the one hand, science courses require a lot of math, long hours in lab and difficult to study. Many students choosing easier subjects like arts, business, these subjects are not that much time taking and does not difficult to understand. Furthermore, scientific research jobs are difficult to find and offer very low starting salaries. Jobs in fields like technology, marketing , teaching are easy to find and often pay higher salarie than scientists.

On the other hand, not choosing science subjects has several negative effects on society. The primary issue is lack of qualified professionals such as doctors, scientists and engineers. Society will not have enough professionals to solve real-world problems. Without scientists, It is harder for a country to develop new medicines, green technology or better infrastructure.

In conclusion, students avoid science subjects because of its difficultiy and lower initial pay and it is hard to find jobs after graduation without any experience. Which results are affecting the society badly because the lack of essential experts who are not participating in development of the society. Many fields are affecting due to the shortage of professionals like medicines, green house and many others fields.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both causes and effects, and your main position is clear: students are deterred by the difficulty of science and its perceived employment and salary prospects, while society may lack essential professionals. The examples of doctors, engineers, medicines and green technology are relevant. However, several points are asserted rather than explained: for instance, you say research jobs are difficult to find and pay poorly, but do not show why this discourages students or support the comparison with other fields. The effects are also narrower and less developed than the causes. The conclusion introduces unclear claims about “green house” and other fields. The response is 13 words below the required minimum, so it does not fully meet the task’s length requirement. Develop each main idea with a specific explanation or example and meet the minimum length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, one on effects, and a conclusion. The contrastive signposts “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the two parts of the question. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes uneven, and the conclusion repeats earlier points rather than bringing them together clearly. The final sentence, “Many fields are affecting due to the shortage,” is difficult to connect to the preceding claim. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “these subjects” are broad. To improve, organise each paragraph around one clear main idea, then explain it with a consequence or example, and use more precise links between claims.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “scientific research,” “qualified professionals,” “real-world problems,” and “green technology.” These choices make the main ideas understandable. However, the range is limited in places, and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce precision: “time taking,” “lower starting salaries to fresh graduate,” “higher salarie,” and “green house” are not accurate forms for the intended meanings. “Difficult” and “society” are also repeated frequently. Aim to use more precise topic vocabulary and check spelling and word forms. For example, you could distinguish between the difficulty of science courses and the demanding nature of scientific careers, rather than relying on the same general adjective.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the cause-and-effect clause “which can lead to shortage” and the conditional sentence beginning “Without scientists.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. Examples include “science … offer” and “these subjects … does not,” where subject–verb agreement is faulty, and “Many students choosing easier subjects,” which lacks a finite verb. The final sentence beginning “Which results” is a fragment, while “students avoid science subjects because of its difficulty” has unclear pronoun agreement. Practise complete sentence construction, agreement, articles and plural forms, then proofread punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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