Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-25

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 lots of nations in the world, not much learners are deciding to study scientific subjects at university. The main root of the given problem is the lack of facilities and theoretical teaching methods. There are two impacts on social system in this case, universities might be struggle with earning money and scientific majors might be underestimated.

To start off my arguments, this problem comes directly from the break down of amenities in laboratories in many universities, especiall the local and not provided with fundings from private companies or government ones. To be specific, not receiving a certain amount of money from fundraisers or governmental organisations can be hardly bearable for universities to buy and modernize the facilities, necessary eqipments and tools to be able to fulfill the requirements of practical experiences for students. Lecturers in universities usually have teaching methods those quite theoritical which make it boring and hard to follow, memorize formulations or specific principles if the learners are not able to experience them properly in real life. If people are studying about how objects can float on water or liquid surface without sinking, but they can not observe how it is able to function in real life, it would be hardly imaginable.

To continue my opinions on its the social effects, the monthly earnings of universities from tuition of students can be negatively affected as the outcome payments for many aspects such as: electricity, lecturers' salaries, and more are still the same but the number of students is decreasing as well as the income earnings, causing financial impacts on university's system. In addition, people might feel unsure with their choices to step in a field that related to science because the total amount of students learning these majors are gradually falling. The lack of individuals learning these subjects in traditional and qualified ways like entering universities can make scientific majors be underestimated. Not much people are choosing to learn human biology or surgery in universities as they are not fulfilled with the requirements of real experiments which hospital programs can help them have deeper perspective into the real cases and accesses with challenging situations.

To wrap up everything, the main roots that lead to the decrease in number of students choosing to study science at university are the broke experimental facilities and teaching methods those rely heavily on theory. The financial impacts can be seen in universities and the possible underestimating with scientific fields.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (lack of facilities and theoretical teaching) and effects (financial strain on universities and the devaluation of scientific fields). The ideas are relevant and generally developed, though some arguments, such as the financial impact on universities, are slightly repetitive and could have been explored with more depth or clarity. The position is clear throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, ensure that the link between the causes and effects is more explicitly articulated, and provide more concrete examples beyond general statements about 'hospital programs' or 'floating objects' to strengthen the support for your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'To start off my arguments' and 'To continue my opinions on its the social effects'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, for instance, the phrase 'in this case' in the introduction is vague. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the transition between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall flow and coherence of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but there is a reliance on basic or slightly inaccurate phrasing. Examples of imprecise word choices include 'not much learners' instead of 'few students', 'broke experimental facilities' instead of 'outdated or inadequate facilities', and 'outcome payments' instead of 'operating costs'. There are also some spelling errors like 'especiall' and 'eqipments'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the range of vocabulary is limited, and the lack of precision in word choice prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Using more academic collocations would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's flow. Examples include 'universities might be struggle' (incorrect verb form), 'teaching methods those quite theoritical' (missing relative pronoun/verb), and 'not much people' (incorrect quantifier). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct word order in complex sentences will help improve this score.

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