Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-11

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 this rapidly evolving era science is cornerstone for well being of all living beings and science plays an integral role for developing scientific based methods. In many countries students are not choosing to gain knowledge in science at University. In this essay I will articulate not only causes but also effects of this notion.

The evolution of science is an essential for all living beings but in many countries students are not willing to learn science at University because they are interested in other subjects. Moreover, many universities not provide in depth knowledge regarding science and they do not give facilities of lab based experiments. Consequently, learners loose their interest from the science subject. Another significant cause of this trend is that many students feel that literature and mathematics imparts more knowledge as compared to science. For example, there are many universities which do not give good facilities to the students such as, work placement. As a result students move towards other options.

Apart from this, it is adversely affected people lives in several ways because we need more doctors and scientist for developing our society. If not enough students are choosing to study science at University, we have to suffer from acute shortage of health facilities. Another profound effect is that we will loose teachers who can teach to future generations. Science also plays a crucial role in satellite and astronomy. For example, if we face any kind of disease in future we do not have adaquete level of technology and people who can originate medicine. As a result it, it can cause loss of not only human beings but also livestocks.

In nutshell, science is prevalent subject since many years and it has created alot of medicine, technology which can give massive benefits to society.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (lack of interest, poor facilities, preference for other subjects) and effects (shortage of professionals, impact on healthcare and technology). However, the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the claim that students prefer literature and mathematics over science is stated but not explained in depth. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not effectively synthesize the main points. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or elaborate on the logical links between the causes and the resulting societal impacts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Consequently', and 'Apart from this' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly repetitive. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'As a result it, it can cause loss of not only human beings but also livestocks', where the pronoun reference is awkward. Improving the flow between sentences and using a wider variety of linking words would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use basic terms like 'good facilities' and 'not enough', which are repetitive. There are also some collocation errors, such as 'loose their interest' (should be 'lose') and 'originate medicine' (should be 'develop' or 'produce'). To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to the topic, such as 'scientific infrastructure' or 'technological advancement', rather than relying on general-purpose language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include missing articles ('science is cornerstone', 'well being of all'), subject-verb agreement ('universities not provide'), and punctuation errors. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for articles, verb forms, and pluralization to ensure your sentences are more accurate.

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.