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)

Nowadays, the young generation in many country are being ingnorant towards taking up science course at universities. This essay will dwell on the main causes of this trend and discuss its effects such as difficuly to find a job and how to affect the research and educational industry.

To embark on, one of the main cause why students are not choosing to study science at university is science courses are considerably hard to study when comparing with other subjects and students also find difficult to accuquire a job even after completing a msters degree in science. This is because the oppurtunity of science courses is considerably lower than of course like engineering and technology therefor, students are likely to take up course that give them a career boost . For instance, science job are more likely research oriented and land a job on research find it may require a phd in the relavent field. As a result students most likely not to choose science subjects.

Morover, this trend have several significant effects. One major consiquence is it may result in lack of quality researchers in science related industries. This can lead to less result in research fields such as lack of employees might result in delaying of many essiential and benifical product. Another potential effect is lack of quality lectures in univerties and schools. For example many universities in rural area now lack quality educators and this is a major concern because it may also affect the whole system long term. As a result, the science community now facing a serious issue.

In conclusion , the lack of students choosing the science courses are decreasing at universities is mainly caused by the difficulty in the subject and the oppurtunity given by the field, and it can result in lack of quality researchers and quality lectures

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (difficulty of the subject and career prospects) and effects (shortage of researchers and educators). However, the development is somewhat limited. The explanation regarding why science is 'hard' is vague, and the link between career prospects and student choices could be more clearly articulated. While the ideas are relevant, they lack depth and specific examples to fully support the arguments. The conclusion is also slightly repetitive and contains grammatical errors that affect clarity. To improve, ensure that each point is fully explained with a clear logical link to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To embark on', 'Morover', and 'In conclusion', though some are used incorrectly or sound unnatural (e.g., 'To embark on' is not a standard transition). Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate for the task, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly rather than relying on simple transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and contains several spelling errors, such as 'ingnorant', 'difficuly', 'accuquire', 'msters', 'oppurtunity', 'consiquence', and 'benifical'. These errors are frequent and occasionally distract the reader. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic terms like 'hard' or 'good'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accurate spelling and incorporating more sophisticated, topic-specific vocabulary related to academic study and professional development, such as 'rigorous curriculum' or 'vocational prospects'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('this trend have', 'science job are'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing ('the lack of students choosing the science courses are decreasing'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent and occur in both simple and complex sentences. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentence structures are constructed accurately.

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

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