Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-16
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 the modern era, science is a subject of great importance because it is crucial to develop various technologies and to make life easier.
This is very disappointing for whole society that students refusing to study science at universities. The reason behind this could be the difficult nature of this subject. Pupil think that, science is hard to understand and not everyone can study this. Basically, it is a practical knowledge instead of theory based. Also, it comprises a huge syllabus. that is why, students do not want to choose this.
There are many harmful effects it cause to society including reduction in technology, formation of new gadgets, study of space and many more. We need science in each field like health, environment, industries and society as well. If students will not show interest in science then our society will come at backfoot. There will be no new inventions occur. We can understand this by taking an example of bulb invention. It was done by a great scientist using tungsten filament. Now, this bulb is a basic need of everyone. He study science and then make this happened so, science is a great subject which can make life easier by novel research.
Finally, it is important to regenerate the interest of students toward science to grow in this society of technology. Some events should be held in universities time to time to aware pupils toward negative affects of not taking science as a subject. Also, the government should take some important steps in this direction including science fellowships, awards and organizing multiple science events in colleges and universities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (difficulty, syllabus size) and effects (lack of innovation, societal stagnation). However, the development is somewhat superficial. The explanation of why science is perceived as difficult is brief, and the discussion of effects relies on general statements rather than deep analysis. For example, the mention of the 'bulb invention' is a bit simplistic and does not fully illustrate the broader societal impact of a decline in scientific research. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed reasoning and clearer links between the causes and the resulting societal consequences.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Basically, it is a practical knowledge' or 'that is why, students do not want to choose this.' There are also instances where the flow between sentences is disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more variety and smoother transitions to achieve a more natural, academic flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'hard,' 'huge,' and 'make life easier.' There are also some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'come at backfoot' (an idiom used incorrectly) and 'aware pupils' (used as a verb where 'make aware' or 'inform' would be better). To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to education and societal development, rather than relying on everyday conversational phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('Pupil think,' 'it cause'), article usage ('the bulb invention'), and punctuation errors, such as starting sentences with lowercase letters after a period or using fragments. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and sentence boundaries will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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