Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-03

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)

Nowadays many students are preferring to study in non STEAM fields in universities due to various reasons like lack of interest or seeing it as an challenging field. In my opinion this will have an negative effect for the future generation and society. I will discuss my reasons behind this in this essay with relavent examples.

Generally, choosing to study science at university is seen a challenging task for many students, as it involves math, physics, chemistry and many core engineering subjects which are hard and require substancial effort to clear them. Therefore, many students choose non science fields such as arts, management, business courses, etc as those are considered easy and can be completed with minimal effort.

Conversely, if many students start avoiding science this will have an negative impact on society and future generation because less engineers means less creativity for human development and there will be a shortage of qualified engineers in many countries in different sectors, which is a big problem for any country because this will inturn have negative effects on economy and productivity of the country. Subsequently, new researches will be slowed due to lack of qualified personal and research and developments departments will be impacted.

In conclusion, many students are not studying science in universities becasue they find them hard to finish and are looking at alteranate easy options such as management, art degrees, and businesses which will give them same financial stability as science graduates. Furthermore, lack of qualified personal in science will have negative effect on the countries research and developments. Therefore, governments should ensure that students are not neglecting science fields at universities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (lack of interest, perceived difficulty) and effects (shortage of engineers, economic impact). The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the claim that non-science degrees offer the same financial stability is a broad generalization that lacks supporting evidence or nuance. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these societal shifts manifest in real-world scenarios. The conclusion introduces a new point about government intervention, which should have been integrated into the body paragraphs for better cohesion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Generally', 'Conversely', and 'In conclusion' are used to signal shifts in the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition 'Subsequently' is used in a way that feels slightly forced. Additionally, the referencing within sentences could be smoother; for instance, the phrase 'clear them' in the first body paragraph is vague. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that ideas flow more naturally between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'human development', 'productivity', and 'financial stability'. However, there are several spelling errors ('relavent', 'substancial', 'becasue', 'alteranate', 'personal' instead of 'personnel') that detract from the quality of the writing. Furthermore, some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'seeing it as an challenging field' (should be 'a challenging field') and 'clear them' when referring to subjects. To improve, focus on mastering the spelling of common academic vocabulary and refining your use of collocations to sound more precise and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('an negative effect', 'a challenging task') and subject-verb agreement. Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'less engineers means less creativity'. You have attempted complex structures, but they are often marred by minor errors. To improve, pay closer attention to article usage and ensure that plural/singular forms are consistent. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you move into the higher band categories.

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