Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-07-25

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 7.0)

Causes:

-- The degrees related to science are known to be extremely difficult, containing a lot of compulsory assignments and harsh deadlines.

-- Other fields such as finance and economics open up high paying roles with higher salaries on par with the professionals in the field of science.

-- The societal attitudes towards domains other than sciences have gradually changed and increasing respect towards professionals such as writers, actors and others.

Effects:

-- This causes lessening number of professionals such as doctors or engineers in the society.

-- Causes imbalance in number of creative professionals, eventually leading to slowing development in the field of science.

--

Many students around the world have developed increasing interests in fields other than science. The reason behind this typically includes changes in the perception among people in societies, where respect for the professionals in other fields seem to be on a rise. Moreover, as compared to the complexity of degrees related to science, other fields offer opportunities equally. With this growing trend, society bear negative consequences such as slowing scientific progress and hampering of critical sectors such as healthcare.

Firstly, the main cause behind this trend is the increasing unpopular opinions related to the science degrees as a whole. Students consider the programs in the field of science to be notoriously difficult, leading to a lot of mental pressure and psychological trauma. For instance, HKU, a university in Hong Kong, is known to give a lot of assignments, projects and case studies majorly for engineering students. This has led to increase in number of suicide rates in the recent years. Furthermore, as compared to such tough degrees, students are finding other sectors like finance or management to be equally rewarding in terms of knowledge, opportunities and income after graduation. Therefore, students are diverting away from science and choosing not to pursue such programs.

This trend often brings negative impacts on society. First, with less number of science students, there is lessening number of professionals such as doctors or engineers available in the society. This in turn causes shortage of staffs in the critical sectors of society such as healthcare, leading to poor quality of services available to the public. Although, the rise in number of creative professionals like artists is not an negative impact, the slowing down in the development of science and technology sector will be a concern for society.

To sum up, students are choosing not to study science citing better balance to opportunities in other areas. This impacts society negatively by slowing down scientific development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes and effects. The ideas are relevant, such as the perceived difficulty of science degrees and the impact on healthcare staffing. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The inclusion of the 'Causes' and 'Effects' bulleted list at the beginning is unnecessary and redundant, as these points are repeated in the essay. The argument regarding suicide rates at HKU is a specific example, but it is presented in a way that feels slightly sensationalized rather than analytical. To reach a higher band, ensure that all points are fully developed within the body paragraphs without relying on preliminary lists.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'To sum up' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, the paragraphing is slightly disrupted by the inclusion of the bulleted summary at the start, which is not standard for an IELTS essay. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, though the transition between the discussion of student pressure and the impact on society could be more seamless. Overall, the structure is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You use terms like 'notoriously difficult', 'critical sectors', and 'diverting away' effectively. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'increasing unpopular opinions' (which is slightly awkward) and 'society bear negative consequences' (should be 'society bears'). While the range is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the more sophisticated, precise vocabulary that would characterize a higher band score. Focusing on more academic collocations will help improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'lessening number of professionals' (should be 'a decreasing number'), 'shortage of staffs' (staff is an uncountable noun), and 'is not an negative impact' (should be 'a negative'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage and subject-verb agreement. Your control of punctuation is generally good, and the sentence variety is sufficient to maintain the reader's interest throughout the response.

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