Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-17

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 a number of nations, very few students are given preference to study science strem at the university level. The major causes behind the phenomenon are that science subjects are difficult and study material is more expensive compared to other streams. That's the reason society has unskilled doctors and scientists, which is not beneficial for the country.

The prime reason that studying science subjects was very difficult to understand by the students in science streams is that the subjects are like chemistry, physics, biology, and mathematics. The difficulty levels are higher than other streams, so the students can't memorize them. Moreover, the science stream's fees are also very expensive at the university level. In this stream, there are different fees according to the different lines, and also the study materials and tuition fees are quite expensive, which is the reason why not every family can afford it. For instance, in India, fewer students are choosing science because of the level of education fees, and difficulties are quite high as compared to the other one.

Not studying science subjects may affect the research and development of the country. The fewer pupils are choosing science, this may indirectly affect the nation's economy because very few students become doctors and engineers. Youngsters weren't interested in science subjects; they diverted to the less hard work and easy option. That's one reason that developed countries have fewer or unskilled doctors and engineers. For example, a new generation chooses fashionable jobs or cushy earnings, such as bloggers or internet researchers, that require less mental pressure.

In conclusion, in numerous countries science subjects do not look like desirable work for the younger people because of the difficulty level and subject fees, which are quite expensive. It might negatively influence the progress of the many industries due to the lack of skilled experts in science education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by identifying causes, such as the difficulty and high cost of science subjects, and effects on society, including a lack of skilled professionals like doctors and engineers. The position is clear throughout the essay. However, some ideas are somewhat repetitively expressed, and the examples, such as the mention of India, tend to over-generalize rather than being fully extended with deep supporting detail. According to the Band 7 descriptors, the writer addresses all parts of the task with a clear position, though some ideas lack full extension and suffer from mild over-generalization. For instance, the transition from students choosing fashionable jobs to a shortage of skilled doctors is stated rather than logically bridged. Overall, the task is reasonably covered, earning a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile, which is best represented by a 6.5 due to the under-development of certain societal effects.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure consisting of an introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on causes and effects respectively, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, phrases like 'That's the reason society has' and 'The prime reason that studying science subjects was very difficult' exhibit awkward referencing and transitional links. While paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct topics, the logical progression between sentences within body paragraphs occasionally stumbles, as seen in the sudden shift from tuition fees to the Indian example without a smooth connective bridge. These traits align well with the Band 6 descriptor, where the overall text is coherent, but cohesive devices are occasionally mechanical or inaccurate, and referencing is not always clear.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific words such as 'phenomenon', 'tuition fees', 'research and development', and 'economy'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'science strem', 'fashionable jobs', and 'cushy earnings'. The attempt to use less common vocabulary sometimes leads to word choice errors, such as describing less rigorous career paths as 'less hard work and easy option'. Spelling errors like 'strem' also occur. These limitations prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7, as the range is adequate for communication but lacks precision and contains noticeable errors, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordinate clauses and relative structures, such as 'which is the reason why not every family can afford it'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward structural formulations, including subject-verb agreement issues ('The fewer pupils are choosing science, this may indirectly affect') and tense inconsistencies ('studying science subjects was very difficult to understand by the students'). Punctuation is generally manageable, but awkward phrasing places a slight strain on the reader. Because errors in grammar and punctuation appear regularly alongside complex structures without entirely impeding communication, the writing matches the Band 6 descriptors for grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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