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)

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: the causes for the decline in science students and the effects on society. The ideas are relevant, such as the perceived difficulty of science degrees and the resulting shortage of professionals. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat uneven. The example regarding HKU is specific but arguably over-generalised and slightly sensationalised in its link to suicide rates. To reach a higher band, the argument could be more balanced by exploring broader socio-economic factors beyond just academic pressure. Overall, the position is clear, and the response covers all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate causes from effects. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'Moreover', 'Firstly', and 'Furthermore', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, although the link between the introduction and the first body paragraph could be more seamless. Referencing is mostly clear, and the structure supports the reader's understanding throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. There are some good collocations like 'scientific progress' and 'critical sectors'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'increasing unpopular opinions' (which is slightly awkward) and 'lessening number' (which should be 'a smaller number'). The student attempts to use more academic language, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'society bear negative consequences' (subject-verb agreement), 'lessening number of science students' (article usage), and 'is not an negative impact' (article usage). Punctuation is generally correct, but the frequency of these minor errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The majority of sentences are understandable, and errors do not impede communication.

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