Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-08-28

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)

Science is very complex field and its study is difficult too. In many countries not enough students are willing to study science at university. They don't take interest in studying science at university.

There may be a lot of reasons behind this. The main reason is the lack of basic facilities that are required to study science thoroughly. As i have already mentioned that science is a very complicated field, it demands proper instruments and science labs for experiments. Because science can't be understood without experiment. That's why such facilities should be provided in the universities but unfortunately our universities lack these facilities.

There are many other reasons too, such as the less paying jobs for science students, and highly paying jobs and demands of computer and technology students. So, students choose such fields instead of science because they ensure them highly paying jobs.

It influences our society negatively as people are not choosing science. As a result, science is moving towards its downfall.

For instance, if students of a country don't choose science subjects to study, that particular country would lack doctors, nurses, biotechnologists etc. And lack of such people is a great loss for a country because that specific country would remain behind in development.

Governments should must pay attention to improve such faults and to increase the pay of people working in science fields so that the students may choose to study science in universities because it is crucial for the

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt (causes and effects), but the development is limited. The essay is under the 250-word minimum, which negatively impacts the depth of the arguments. While you identify reasons like lack of facilities and salary disparities, these points are not fully extended with sufficient evidence or nuance. The conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence, which prevents a clear summary of your position. To improve, ensure you provide more detailed examples and fully develop your paragraphs to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is somewhat mechanical. You use basic cohesive devices like 'The main reason is' and 'For instance', but the transitions between sentences can be repetitive. The paragraphing is logical, but the abrupt ending significantly disrupts the overall coherence of the piece. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your ideas are connected more fluidly, rather than relying on simple sentence-by-sentence progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'study science' and 'highly paying jobs'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'complex field' (which is acceptable) and 'increase the pay of people' (which could be more academic). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to education and socio-economic impacts, and avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, 'Governments should must pay attention' is redundant, and 'As i have already mentioned' contains a capitalization error. There are also issues with article usage and phrasing, such as 'science is very complex field'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focus on subject-verb agreement, consistent capitalization, and refining your use of modal verbs.

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

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