Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-04
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, majority of the countries are facing it challenging to motivate students to study science subjects in the higher level of education. The trend have many causes and it may leads to the negative impact on the society.
One of the main reason for the students to believe that the science courses are difficult to understand and study in contrast to the other courses. They require the complete understanding of the science courses such as physics, matematics and chemistry and needs a lot of hard work, which can discourage them to choose any of the science course. In addition, majority of the students thinks that the job market of science is more diffcult to conquer and needs study of too many years. As a result, they prefer to choose subjects other than science such as; business, arts or marketing.
This situation can have serious effects on society that there may be shortage of the scientist or engineers in the future. These professionals are important for the building of new ideas, develop new employment opportunities through their ideas for the world,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt—causes and effects—but the development is significantly hindered by the word count. At 180 words, the essay fails to meet the 250-word minimum requirement, which leads to an incomplete discussion. While the causes (perceived difficulty and career prospects) and effects (shortage of professionals) are identified, they are not sufficiently extended or supported with specific examples. The conclusion is also missing, leaving the argument unfinished. To improve, you must expand on your points with detailed explanations and concrete examples to meet the length requirement and fully develop your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay shows a basic logical progression, with separate paragraphs for causes and effects. However, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition 'As a result' is used correctly, but the overall flow is interrupted by the abrupt ending of the text. Paragraphing is present but the final paragraph is incomplete, which affects the overall structure. To achieve a higher score, ensure that you use a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect your ideas more fluidly and ensure that every paragraph is fully developed and concluded.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the reader to understand your main points. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary such as 'higher level of education', 'job market', and 'employment opportunities'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'conquer' in the context of a job market, which is not the most natural collocation. There are also minor errors like 'matematics' (spelling). To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure accurate spelling of subject-related terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There are several grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The trend have', 'majority of the students thinks') and incorrect verb forms ('it may leads'). While you attempt some complex sentence structures, these are often marred by these persistent errors. The range of structures is somewhat limited. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensure that modal verbs are followed by the correct base form of the verb. Proofreading for these common errors will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.