Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

Nowadays, students in developing countries rarely choose a science course in the university. This essay will discuss the cause of its trend and its effect on the society.

There are several reasons why students avoid science course. Firstly, individuals may find science course as a challenging course due to broadness of the subject. For example, nursing students must study complex courses such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology which requires time, memorization and consistent mental effort. Consequently, many students feel overwhelmed, anxious and prefer less demanding courses and more flexible courses like business, management, or arts. Unlike arts course, science involve both theory and compulsory praticals. In addition, science education is often expensive. Individuals who come from low income background may base their decision on lack of funds to their choice. Laboratory equipments, textbooks, and pratical trainings cost more than other courses, making students unable to afford them.

This trend has serious negative effects on society. One major effect is a shortage of essential professionals. As fewer students study science, there will be a lack of doctors, nurses, and engineers, scientists, radiographers, which leads to poor healthcare and underdevelopment. For instance, many hospitals in developing countries already lack enough qualified staff. Another effect is increased dependence on foreign expertise. Consequently, the country will have to spend more money hiring experts from abroad, which affects the economy and slows national progress.

In conclusion, science courses are avoided due to their challenging and time consuming nature, which consequently leads to scarcity of essentials professionals and increased reliance on foreign expertise.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the causes of why students avoid science courses and the effects this trend has on society. In the introduction and body paragraphs, the writer outlines clear reasons such as the challenging and time-consuming nature of science subjects, as well as the high cost of laboratory equipment and tuition. Furthermore, the societal impacts are adequately explored, mentioning the shortage of essential professionals and increased dependence on foreign expertise. Examples such as nursing and medical staffing issues are provided to support the points made. While some arguments could be further extended, the overall coverage aligns well with a Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas presented are relevant to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from causes in the second paragraph to effects in the third. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the introduction, causes, effects, and conclusion distinctly. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Firstly', 'Consequently', and 'In addition'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in phrases like 'the cause of its trend' where the pronoun reference is slightly unclear. Additionally, some transitional links feel repetitive. Overall, the organizational structure is easy to follow, supporting a solid Band 6.5 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'overwhelmed', 'underdevelopment', and 'dependence'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'science course' instead of 'science courses' (plural/uncountable inconsistencies), 'praticals' (spelling error for 'practicals'), and 'low income background' instead of 'low-income background'. Despite these occasional lexical errors and minor spelling mistakes, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary remains sufficient to convey the intended meaning, placing it firmly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional-like consequences (e.g., 'As fewer students study science, there will be a lack of...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as missing articles ('choose a science course in the university' instead of 'at university'), subject-verb agreement issues ('science involve both theory' instead of 'science involves'), and awkward phrasing ('lack of funds to their choice'). While these errors are noticeable, the majority of sentences remain understandable, and they rarely impede communication. This level of control is characteristic of a Band 6 grammar score.

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