Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-12

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 6.0)

Nowadays, fewer students are choosing to study science at university in several nations. The youth is enforced to make this decision as they believe that the science field has now become very saturated and highly competitive, and if this number continues to drop then it might result in a less advanced and unproductive society.

Current students who are about to pursue their undergraduate or postgraduate degrees are giving least preference to scientific fields due numerous reasons. Firstly, they feel that it is very risky to pursue a career in science oriented field in the modern world as they are quite saturated and really tough. They consider that there exists an imbalance between demand and supply of science graduates as the number of degree holders exceed the number of vacancies by a huge margin. Secondly, most of the people also regard science courses as being the toughest to complete due to their big syllabuses and technical concepts, and the reward of going through this academic pressure is usually not reflected in a graduate's salary.

Although most of the students have valid arguments to not indulge in scientific courses, it can have severe impacts on the society in the future. For instance, if less students choose to study science courses, so there will automatically be less number of graduates. Therefore, due to lack of educated individuals the future of science will definitely be deprived of new inventions and discoveries as there will not be enough experts or employees to work in scientific fields such as computer science, chemical engineering, and medical.

In conclusion, the students all across the globe are thinking practically and not opting for science related careers due to high job insecurity, while not taking into account the effects that it will cause in the upcoming years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (job insecurity, saturation, and academic difficulty) and effects (lack of innovation and scientific progress). The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about salary is mentioned but not fully explored, and the discussion on societal effects could benefit from more specific examples beyond general fields like 'chemical engineering'. The essay covers all requirements, but the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6.5 or 7.0 level, as some points are stated rather than fully extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate causes from effects. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Although', and 'Therefore' are used to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with cohesion, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the sentence 'if less students choose to study science courses, so there will automatically be less number of graduates'. Despite this, the progression of ideas remains clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good collocations like 'job insecurity', 'academic pressure', and 'scientific fields'. However, there is some repetition of basic terms (e.g., 'science', 'students', 'number'). There are also some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'science oriented field' (should be 'science-oriented fields') and 'less number of graduates' (should be 'fewer graduates'). The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the sophistication or precision required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors. For example, 'The youth is enforced' is an unnatural passive construction; 'due numerous reasons' is missing a preposition ('due to'); and 'less students' should be 'fewer students'. Additionally, the sentence 'if less students choose to study science courses, so there will automatically be less number of graduates' contains a redundant 'so'. These errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score, though they do not impede communication.

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.