Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-15

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 countries, the a large number of undergraduate students are avoiding to study science subjects in the universities, So there are not an adequate number of students taking admissions in science departments. The main root causes are fee affordability and complexity level of science education. It can limit the new inventions and a shortage of science skilled professional.

Studying science is an expensive option for students because it involves certain types of equipment and laboratories for experiment. Therefore, Universities charge a large amount of fees from science students. As a result, undergraduates prefer to choose arts and business programs which are relatively affordable than science programs. For instance, one of my cousins wanted to took admission in the chemistry department but the fees for this program was almost double than the rest of programs so he ended up getting admission in business management program. Science is relatively a difficult subject so it requires a lot of concentration and dedication to get a science degree from university. Consequently, Students get afraid from the results and choose other subjects.

The result of this would appear after a decade. Abandoning science subjects can limit the number of inventions and innovations in many sectors. Scientists are behind every invention. However, if students are not choosing science, society will not able to see advancements. Furthermore, Doctors and engineers study science subjects to reach their career. So, if new doctors and engineer would not be in market there would be the shortage these professions which can directly affect the society.

It is concluded that affordability and sophistication level of science are the main hindrances to choose the science subjects which can result in decrease in the number of inventions and create a shortage of science graduates in upcoming years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the causes (fee affordability and complexity) and the effects (limited innovation and professional shortages). The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation of why science is 'difficult' is brief, and the discussion on the effects could be more nuanced. While the position is clear throughout, the response would benefit from more detailed examples or a deeper exploration of the societal impact to reach a higher band. Overall, it provides a sufficient response to all parts of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'As a result', and 'Furthermore' are used to link sentences and ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the phrase 'the result of this' at the start of the third paragraph, which could be more precisely linked to the previous paragraph's content. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'undergraduate', 'innovations', and 'sophistication'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'avoiding to study' (should be 'avoiding studying'), 'taking admissions' (should be 'enrolling'), and 'sophistication level' (which is slightly unnatural in this context). While the range is sufficient, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

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 that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'the a large number of', 'wanted to took admission' (should be 'wanted to take'), 'fees... was almost double than' (should be 'double that of'), and 'society will not able to see' (should be 'will not be able to'). These errors are persistent throughout the text. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement, verb forms after infinitives, and correct comparative structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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