Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-14

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 many nations, many students at universities are not studying in science related subjects. This trend can be attributed primarily to lack of knowledge and interest. While long-term repercussions which impact society and economy.

There are several reasons why increasing decline in science subject. One of the primary factor is lack of knowledge and awareness. To elaborate it, science is considered as difficult subject because of the theory, mathematics and practical work. However subjects such as business, arts and humanity require less discipline. Another reason is limited awareness of career opportunities. Many students are not aware about the job opportunities such as biologist, environment researcher and data science. For example many students after their studies did not know about the value of their study and remain jobless. Consequently, people remain unemployed after valid education and degrees.

This decline in science environment can have far-reaching effects on society. The most immediate consequence is a shortage of qualified professionals including scientists, engineers, researchers and other specialists. If few people enter these field country may face lack of development in science and technical development. In addition to this lack of skilled worker impact the economy of the country, because if there are few skilled professionals then country will depend on foreign expertise and technology and pay high salary to them. For instance, every year many countries face recession in skilled workers and offer visas to international workers which impact economy of the country.

In conclusion

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt (causes and effects), but the development is somewhat limited. The word count is below the 250-word minimum, which negatively impacts the depth of the arguments. While the causes (lack of interest, difficulty of subjects, and limited career awareness) and effects (shortage of professionals and economic impact) are relevant, they are presented in a somewhat superficial manner. The conclusion is incomplete, consisting only of the introductory phrase, which leaves the essay feeling unfinished. To improve, ensure all parts of the prompt are fully developed and provide a complete, well-structured conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the progression is hindered by the incomplete conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To elaborate it', 'Another reason is', and 'In addition to this', but some are used mechanically or with slight grammatical awkwardness. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. The lack of a proper concluding paragraph significantly affects the overall coherence of the piece. Improving the transition between ideas and ensuring a full, cohesive summary at the end would raise the score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'science', 'students', and 'country'. While some topic-specific vocabulary is used (e.g., 'biologist', 'recession', 'technical development'), there are errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'science environment' instead of 'science field' or 'science sector'. The range is sufficient to communicate the main points, but more sophisticated vocabulary and better control over collocations are needed to reach a higher band. Focus on using more precise academic terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'One of the primary factor' (should be 'factors'), 'science is considered as difficult subject' (missing article 'a'), and 'lack of skilled worker impact' (should be 'workers impact'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is sometimes repetitive. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would improve the accuracy.

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