Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-27
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 this new era, numerous countries are facing same problem that not many pupils are pursuing science related subjects. There are many reasons and some serious long term issues.
On the one hand, students are not choosing scientific courses because of various reasons such as less salaries and lack of visible impact. They are drifting towards the art subjects because these courses promise more annual packages. Furthermore, art based subjects are heavily discussed among students and have more visible impacts, Whereas scientific degrees require heavy mathematics and physics knowledge which is student sometimes fail to match. For example, a prominent digital media house published a complete survey which showed that pupils do not to enroll into science subjects because of vast science knowledge requirements.
On the other hand, science related subject are immensely important because without them it is extremely hard to discover and invent. Not only inventions but it also creates unemployment in technical fields which can ultimately cause many complications in the long run and can generate a gap in new scientific advancements. For instance, if a science institution lacks of technical experts and scientists, they might slow down in new advancements which can impact not only on countries but on humanity itself because science has been the partner of humans.
In conclusion, after briefly and thoroughly analyzing its drawbacks and causes as well as new generation behaviour. I firmly believe that this continue trend of students ignoring special science based course will have an enormous effect on people's lives and society.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes and effects. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation regarding 'less salaries' as a cause is a good point, but the connection to 'art subjects' is a bit vague. The effects section mentions 'unemployment in technical fields', which is slightly confusing as the prompt asks about the effects of a lack of science students, not the effects of unemployment. The ideas are relevant but could be extended with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The position is clear, but the overall development is somewhat superficial.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is slightly disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'after briefly and thoroughly analyzing its drawbacks and causes as well as new generation behaviour'. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the progression of ideas within paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a more natural flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are some repetitive word choices, such as 'subjects' and 'science'. Some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'annual packages' instead of 'remuneration' or 'salaries', and 'vast science knowledge requirements'. While the meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and there is a lack of sophisticated or idiomatic expressions that would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.
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, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. Examples include 'facing same problem', 'science related subject are', 'if a science institution lacks of', and 'this continue trend'. These errors indicate a lack of control over articles, subject-verb agreement, and word forms. While the writer attempts complex sentences, the accuracy is inconsistent. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical slips and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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