Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-12

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 6.0)

As mentioned in the question, in many countries, students are choosing other streams over science at university level. There can be various causes behind it.

Cause: In the university structure of most of the countries, a student is free to choose any course based on their academic background and preferences. Choosing a science stream might not be available for everyone since it might require a qualifying percentage to be attained in school level examinations. Also, there are various examples of brilliant students choosing commerce or arts over science, just because of their interest towards the subject.

There might be a social stigma or stereotype that not choosing science at university level marks a student as someone inferior to their counterparts. But it is so great to see the young ones breaking through it by selecting other streams and absolutely excelling in that. I personally feel it is a really great sign for the society, as going forward we would require subject matter experts from different domains who can innovate and prepare solutions to the relevant problem statements, with or without the help from their counterparts from science background. We can imagine science being a tool, which solves problems rooting to different domains. And to solve them, apart from science, we do need people having the domain knowledge. So that way it really helps the society.

To give an example, I would like to mention about a friend of mine, who was the topper from our batch in the school level examination. Each one of us thought that she would choose a pure science stream and go on to become a doctor or engineer. But to our suprise she chose Geography which she really liked. As of today, she is pursuing PhD from a very reputed university in Great Britain. She has inspired everyone of us.

To conclude, I can say that on a personal level, I feel students selecting other streams over science at the university level is a very encouraging sign. It would surely give us a lot of subject matter experts from various different domains, taking our society to new heights and a better future, together.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes for the decline in science students and the effects on society. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial and blends personal anecdote directly into the main body arguments without fully developing a broad sociological perspective. For instance, the cause section introduces structural limitations and student preferences, but the effect section focuses heavily on a single friend's path to Geography, which limits the breadth of ideas required for a Band 7. The position is stated, but the support tends to rely on personal opinion rather than well-extended societal analysis. Therefore, it fits comfortably within the Band 6 descriptor for addressing all parts of the task while leaving some aspects under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement, though the paragraphing and formatting choices are a bit unconventional, such as explicitly labelling a paragraph with the word "Cause:". Logical progression is evident as the writer moves from causes to societal effects and then to a personal example. However, cohesive devices can be somewhat repetitive or mechanical, as seen with phrases like "To give an example, I would like to mention about" and "To conclude, I can say that". Referencing is mostly clear, but the links between sentences occasionally feel abrupt, preventing the response from reaching a Band 7 level of flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as "academic background," "social stigma," "subject matter experts," and "reputed university." There are some minor lexical errors or awkward collocations, such as "mention about" instead of simply "mention," and "problems rooting to different domains" instead of "stemming from." Less common items are attempted with reasonable success, but occasional word-choice inaccuracies mean the vocabulary is firmly anchored at Band 6 rather than extending to the precision required for Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising structures such as conditional and concessive clauses (e.g., "Choosing a science stream might not be available for everyone since it might require..."). There are some grammatical errors, such as missing articles or awkward prepositions (e.g., "in the school level examination" instead of "at the school level"), and minor punctuation issues. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication, and the complex structures show an adequate command of grammar that satisfies the Band 6 criteria.

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