Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-05

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 6.5)

Most countries are facing a conundrum because students are not opting for natural sciences at higher education institutions. Science plays a vital role in building the infrastructure of a country. It helps in research and development processes. In this essay, I will describe why students are not mastering sciences and how it affects our society.

Fewer students are choosing science because it is a complex subject that demands an extra workload, which most students cannot meet due to academic pressure and a lack of confidence in problem-solving situations. So, they prefer not to select science as it is as difficult and frustrating as mathematics. For instance, as the students consider science a dilemma, they choose humanities instead of physics.

Some other students do not choose science because of professional prospects. In their view, the other subjects would secure their future; they will be able to acquire more career opportunities with high salaries. Nowadays, most students go for AI, Law, and social services because, in their opinion, these jobs will save them in the future, and they will earn a handsome amount for their living. For instance, individuals select social services because they can also do them as remote jobs. Thus, it becomes convenient for living their life to the fullest.

Another reason students do not select science is that fewer graduates have resulted in a lot of empty specialised positions, and the local-market gap is increasing incredibly day by day. Fewer graduates result in a lack of skilled workers, and a lot of technology and science masters are hired from overseas. We then have to pay them for their jobs, and we don't know if they are working properly or not.

In conclusion, while both points are valid, we should teach our students the importance of gaining scientific knowledge; we, as a nation, would be on the way to progress in a significant manner.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (difficulty, workload, and career prospects) and effects (market gaps and reliance on overseas workers). The position is clear, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The fourth paragraph, which discusses the effects, is slightly underdeveloped and focuses more on the consequences for the local market rather than broader societal impacts. To reach a higher band, you should expand on how a lack of scientific innovation might affect a nation's long-term global competitiveness or public health, rather than just focusing on hiring practices.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance,' 'Thus,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the connection between the final body paragraph and the conclusion could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be linked more fluidly to improve the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision, using terms like 'conundrum,' 'specialised positions,' and 'infrastructure.' There are some instances of slightly unnatural collocations, such as 'save them in the future' or 'living their life to the fullest,' which are a bit informal for an academic essay. While the vocabulary is adequate to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more sophisticated academic collocations would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and error-free, which ensures that communication is not impeded. There are occasional minor errors, such as 'fewer graduates have resulted in a lot of empty specialised positions' (the subject-verb agreement is slightly awkward here) and 'convenient for living their life.' However, these errors are infrequent and do not cause confusion. You have good control over punctuation and sentence construction, though more variety in complex sentence structures would be beneficial.

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

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