Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-19

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 numerous countries most of the students are not selecting science subject for university studies. The causes of not choosing science subject for further studies are hard subjects and limited jobs. This can effect our society by causing economic issues and lack of experts in scientific field.

The causes of loss of interest of the students in science subjects are complicated courses and limited employment. Initially, not every student has the same caliber, thus when students select subjects other then their interest they can face challenges. Consequently, they cannot perform well in those courses and this can effect their grades in exam. Moreover, science subjects are very technical such as physics, biology and chemistry, these subjects require high concentration and interest to get satisfactory results. Lastly, science students have limited opportunities in professional field, because of the competition. Additionally, they have restricted skills and abilities according to their subjects, they cannot survive in different fields if it is not related to their subject. For instance, in biology, there are few vacancies of jobs, so most of the students are unemployed and cannot do other jobs because of their limitation of skills.

There are some effects of ignoring science subjects such as economic problems and loss of experts. Science subject is significant for countries economic conditions, innovations are very essential for the success of the corporate companies, industries and factories for the production of high quality products. Furthermore, scientific studies help in bringing different technologies, which is very beneficial for improving health care departments, transportation and educational system which can enhance economy. In addition to, ignorance of science subject can cause loss of experts, such as doctors, engineers and researchers. For example, if there will be only art related subjects, then scientific departments will be brutally effected such as health departments.

In conclusion, not selecting science subjects can cause serious issues such as limited jobs and hard courses, it can also effect society by reducing experts and economy.

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 and effects. The ideas are relevant, such as the difficulty of science courses and the economic impact of a lack of experts. However, the development is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument regarding 'limited jobs' is mentioned in the introduction, the body, and the conclusion without significant expansion. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced examples or explore the long-term societal implications (e.g., the impact on global competitiveness or public health policy) in greater depth. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments could be more sophisticated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'Consequently', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly forced, such as 'In addition to, ignorance of science...'. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear; for example, 'this can effect their grades' is a bit vague in its connection to the previous sentence. Improving the flow between sentences by using more varied cohesive structures would enhance the overall coherence of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic terms like 'hard subjects', 'limited jobs', and 'good/bad' concepts. There are also some word-choice errors, such as using 'effect' (a noun) instead of 'affect' (a verb) throughout the text. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'innovations', 'corporate', and 'vacancies', the range is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology to express complex ideas more fluently.

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, particularly with subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'science subject' instead of 'science subjects', 'countries economic conditions' instead of 'countries' economic conditions'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and comma splices. The frequent errors in basic grammar prevent the essay from reaching a higher band, although they do not significantly impede communication.

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

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