Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-11

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 many nations students usually do not opt science as their higher university degree because of higher fees and competition which affect the society in form of lake of innovations and brain drain.

Usually, the administrative and semester costs of the science subjects are higher in comparison with social science and other related areas because it involve experimental and practical approaches which are expensive by themself. Similarly, the high number of competition involved for science subjects make it difficult for every student to get into it. For example the number of master level seats available at department of chemistry in Quaid-e-Azam university is only 11 which is filled after a proper entrance test followed by an interview resultantly made it high competitive for the students.

Nevertheless, due to such low turn out in science subjects it effect the society in negative way. The first and far most important one is the lack of innovation in most of the contemporary important matters for example due to low students and skill turn out the industries designed in a manner in that countries that to get relevant skilled students easily and get profits. Resultantly, such lake of opportunities encourage brain drain and skilled students move to another countries where their skills value and they get enough privileges against their contributions to scientific societies.

In conclusion, the high level of cost affiliated with science subjects and higher level of competition make it difficult for many students to opt for it which cause developmental backwardness and brain drain.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: causes (high fees and competition) and effects (lack of innovation and brain drain). The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. However, the development is somewhat limited; while you provide a specific example regarding Quaid-e-Azam University, the discussion on the effects on society remains a bit general. To reach a higher band, ensure that the link between the causes and the specific societal consequences is more deeply explored with further analysis or broader examples. The position is clear throughout, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Nevertheless', 'For example', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'The first and far most important one'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'industries designed in a manner in that countries that to get relevant skilled students easily'. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring more precise use of linking words will enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'administrative', 'contemporary', and 'privileges'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and spelling mistakes that affect precision, such as 'lake of innovations' (lack), 'by themself' (by themselves), and 'low turn out' (low turnout). Some collocations are also non-standard, such as 'science subjects make it difficult for every student to get into it'. To improve, focus on learning the correct collocations for academic writing and proofreading for common spelling errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and preposition usage, such as 'students usually do not opt science' (opt for science) and 'move to another countries' (move to other countries). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your main points, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Increasing your control over complex sentence structures and ensuring accurate article and preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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