Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
Students around the world are not chosing scientific subjects at universities.The cause i think can be found in the difficulty of STEM subjects and the job market. With the advancement of ai and the struggling economies of the world it is getting quite difficult to get a job.
To answer this question we have to look up at the root of the problem and do a surgry to get a glimpse of reality. In this modren day and age old technologies are been replaced by new advancements and artificial intelligence which is giving a push back to old ways of life and the job market. The stundents know this development and they are choosing the other way around. They are trying to find easy jobs with more payments in the search for a better life.
The effects of this attitude is robbing students from creativity and critical thinking. By choice not choosing hard subjects tells about their unwillingness to do brain work and face great intellectual hardships. This is also bad for the countries economies which are dealing with this problem. Because scientific development and investment in biotechnonogy and artificial intelligence is the future of the up coming decades and the countries which are above in this race are going to decide the future of humankind.
IN conclusion i think its a bad attitude of students to avoid these subjects. It is bad for them, bad for economy and the future of their countries. Science is the field of progress and prosperity and every country should make it their priority.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying causes such as the difficulty of STEM subjects and the impact of the job market and AI, as well as effects like a decline in critical thinking and negative economic consequences. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat superficial and lacks fully elaborated examples. Phrases like 'do a surgry to get a glimpse of reality' are overly informal and metaphor-heavy without adding analytical depth. While a position is stated throughout the essay, the arguments tend to over-generalise rather than being thoroughly supported with concrete real-world evidence. Overall, the content is relevant and meets the basic demands of the prompt, corresponding to a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into four distinct paragraphs, indicating a basic structural attempt to introduce the topic, discuss causes, analyse effects, and conclude. However, logical progression within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by abrupt shifts in thought, such as transitioning from AI to students seeking easy jobs without smooth transitional markers. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or awkwardly, such as 'To answer this question we have to look up at the root of the problem'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion requires better referencing and signposting to achieve a higher band. Consequently, a Band 5.5 is appropriate for this criterion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The lexical resource is limited and displays frequent spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'chosing' instead of choosing, 'surgry' instead of surgery, 'modren' instead of modern, and 'stundents' instead of students. There are also inappropriate collocations, like 'giving a push back to old ways of life' and 'more payments' instead of higher salaries. While the writer attempts less common vocabulary such as 'biotechnology' and 'artificial intelligence', the high density of basic spelling mistakes and imprecise lexical choices detracts from the overall quality, preventing the score from reaching a Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures often contain grammatical inaccuracies. Examples include passive voice errors like 'technologies are been replaced' and agreement/punctuation slips such as 'The effects of this attitude is robbing' and missing apostrophes in 'countries economies'. Capitalisation errors are also prominent, as seen with 'ai' and 'IN conclusion'. Frequent errors in punctuation, verb forms, and subject-verb agreement occasionally cause strain for the reader, aligning the grammar closely with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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