Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-22

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)

In recent years, a growing number of nations have experienced a noticeable decline in the proportion of university students opting for science disciplines. This essay will examine the primary causes behind this trend, namely the percieved difficulty of the subject and lower entry-level financial returns, as well as its detrimental effects on technological innovations and public policy development.

The primary driver behind the dropping interest in science subjects is the demanding nature of the curriculum. Disciplines such as physics and chemistry require intense critical thinking, prolonged laboratory hours, and rigorous testing, which frequently discourages students who prefer more flexible or less intensive coursework. Furthermore, many students choose their majors based on immediate financial gain. Career in fields like business, software development, or finance often offer high starting salaries and more straightforward career paths compared to traditional research roles in science that are less rewarding and less appealing to young adults.

This shift in academic preference has severe sideeffects for society at large. First, it slows down the rate of technological and medical innovations. A shortage of scientists means fewer research work on critical breakthrough such as clean alternative energy production methods and discoveries of vaccines against emerging disease. Additionally, a society lacking scientific literacy among its highly educating population struggles to make well informed and data-driven decisions. Without a scientific expert, government fails to deal with complex issues like climate change.

In conclusion, the migration of students away from science courses stems largely from the rigorous nature of the academic workload and others rewarding fields appeal young minds by offering more financial sustainability. Ultimately, it slows down the advancements and it becomes difficult to handle global problems such as climate change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt by examining both the causes of the decline in science students, such as the perceived difficulty of the curriculum and lower entry-level financial returns, and the societal effects, including stalled technological innovations and public policy challenges. The student establishes a clear position in the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and well-supported with relevant examples and logical explanations, such as comparing the starting salaries of business and finance to traditional scientific research roles. The content is directly relevant and fully developed, aligning comfortably with the Band 7 requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. It is divided into logical paragraphs with a distinct introduction, two body paragraphs addressing causes and effects respectively, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used appropriately to connect ideas, such as 'Furthermore,' 'This shift in academic preference,' and 'Additionally.' Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively. However, referencing and transitions are occasionally slightly mechanical, and minor linking lapses appear, which places the response firmly within the Band 7 descriptor where organisation is clear and progression is maintained.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, such as 'proportion of university students,' 'percieved difficulty,' 'financial gain,' and 'scientific literacy.' There are some attempts to use less common lexical items and academic phrasing. However, there are a few spelling and word-choice errors, notably 'percieved' (perceived), 'Career in fields' (Careers in fields), 'sideeffects' (side effects), and 'research work' (research works or research), along with minor grammatical collocation slips. These errors do not impede communication, making this a solid Band 6.5 or 7 performance; given the overall precision and adequate range, a Band 6.5 is well-suited, though rounded appropriately for IELTS bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and conditional-like framing ('Disciplines such as physics and chemistry require... which frequently discourages...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, showing good control overall. However, a few noticeable grammatical errors persist, such as 'Career in fields... often offer' (subject-verb agreement), 'discoveries of vaccines against emerging disease' (singular/plural noun error), 'Without a scientific expert, government fails' (missing article/pluralisation), and 'others rewarding fields appeal young minds' (other rewarding fields appeal to young minds). These errors rarely impede communication, reflecting the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.

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

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