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)

In many countries, an insufficient number of students are choosing to study science-related subjects at university. This can be due to various factors such as limited funding and latest lab equipments for projects and demanding nature of scientific subjects. This will lead to shortage of scientific researchers and will slow down the technological development.

One major reason for the declining interest of students is the lack of modern lab equipments and research facilities. Without appropriate equipment, students may have the limited opportunities to conduct lab experiments and get accurate results. For example, biomedical students need updated and reliable apparatus to analyze their findings effectively. If universities cannot provide funds for such equipments and facilities, students may precieve science as less rewarding subject and choose other fields instead. Another factor is the demanding nature of science subjects. They have to spend considerable time on mathematics, lab experiments, and research, which may encourage them to choose less technically demanding subjects.

This will lead to shortage of researchers, which may impact the technological advancement of the country. Technology is evolving at the rapid rate and researchers are need to conduct experiments and find new solutions. Without a sufficient number of scientists, fewer innovative projects will be undertaken, which may eventually slow the country's technological progress.

In conclusion, shortage of adequate research facilities and sophisticated lab equipments are the major reasons for the decline of interest in science-related subjects. Another contributing factor is the hardwork which some students avoid and choose less technical subjects instead. This will reduce the number of scientists, which will slow down the technological progress of the country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the causes of the decline in science students and the effects on society. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. The introduction clearly states the causes and effects, which are then expanded upon in the body paragraphs. For instance, the writer discusses a lack of modern lab equipment and the demanding nature of science subjects as causes, while the shortage of scientific researchers and slowed technological development are highlighted as effects. However, the development tends to be slightly repetitive in the conclusion without introducing new nuances, and some supporting examples remain somewhat broad. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant ideas, though certain aspects are slightly under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at paragraphing, featuring an introduction, separate body paragraphs for causes and effects, and a conclusion. Logical sequencing is present, guiding the reader from causes to consequences. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. For example, the transitional phrases and referencing are somewhat repetitive, relying heavily on expressions like 'Another factor' and 'This will lead to'. Paragraph transitions are functional but lack variety. Furthermore, the referencing pronoun 'They' in the sentence 'They have to spend considerable time...' creates minor ambiguity regarding whether it refers to the subjects or the students. Overall, these features align well with the Band 6 descriptor, where the overall progression is clear despite mechanical cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'biomedical students', 'scientific researchers', and 'technological advancement'. Attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally marred by word choice, collocation, and pluralisation errors. For instance, the phrase 'latest lab equipments' is incorrect since 'equipment' is an uncountable noun. Additionally, the spelling error 'precieve' instead of 'perceive' occurs. There is also awkward phrasing such as 'science as less rewarding subject' missing the article 'a'. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6 profile for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'If universities cannot provide funds for such equipments and facilities, students may...' However, there is a noticeable lack of article control and grammatical consistency throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('shortage of scientific researchers' should be 'a shortage', 'at rapid rate' should be 'at a rapid rate') and occasional awkward prepositions or pluralisation. Despite these errors in grammar and punctuation, they rarely impede communication and the basic meaning remains clear. This balance of mixed structures and persistent minor errors corresponds directly to the Band 6 descriptors.

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

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