Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-23

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 recent years, an insufficient number of students are opting to pursue science at university in many parts of the world. This essay will discuss both the causes and effects of this trend.

There are several factors that contribute to the decline in the number of admissions in science subjects at universities in significant proportion of nations. One of the major reason is , people perceive that there are less career opportunities for science subjects. People want to pursue fields that are more practical and have substantial job opportunities. Another major contributing factor is the difficulty of these subjects. For instance, it is quite challenging to understand difficult concepts in physics and chemistry. These subjects require a lot of mental effort and energy. This problem can be exacerbated when the science is taught predominantly through rote memorisation rather than practical experiments and problem solving activities. Consequently students may fail to apply the scientific knowledge in real life.

The declining number of science students is alarming and it can have far-reaching impacts on society. It can lead to the shortage of technological experts. For instance, if the number of medical doctors decrease, then there will be no one to prevent and diagnose diseases and it will result in increasing number of patients. If their will be little research in science subjects, then there will be a huge decline in scientific discoveries.

To conclude, declining popularity of science subjects is a concerning matter that should be discussed widely. This declining trend can have far reaching impacts on society. If this trend will continue to increase, it can have disasterous consequences in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the causes (perception of fewer career opportunities, difficulty of subjects, and rote memorisation) and the effects (shortage of technological experts, decrease in medical professionals, and a decline in scientific discoveries). The position is clear throughout, and ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning physics, chemistry, and medical doctors. However, some arguments, such as the discussion on medical doctors increasing patients, border on slight generalisations or simplistic explanations, placing the response comfortably within the Band 7 criteria where all parts are addressed and supported, but ideas could be polished for deeper academic rigour.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: an introduction, causes in the second paragraph, effects in the third, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'One of the major reason', 'Another major contributing factor', 'Consequently', and 'To conclude' are used to guide the reader through the text, although there are minor mechanical errors like 'if their will be little research'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main ideas, and referencing is generally clear, resulting in a solid performance that matches the Band 6.5 to 7 descriptors, leaning toward a 6.0 due to occasional slightly awkward transitional phrasing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'predominantly', 'rote memorisation', 'exacerbated', and 'disasterous'. However, there are noticeable word-form and spelling errors, such as 'reason' instead of 'reasons' after 'One of the major', 'disasterous' (misspelled), and awkward collocations like 'less career opportunities' instead of 'fewer career opportunities'. Despite these inaccuracies, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary remains sufficient for the task, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional sentences ('if the number of medical doctors decrease, then there will be no one...') and relative clauses. However, there are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the essay. For example, there is a stray comma in 'One of the major reason is , people perceive', subject-verb agreement issues ('the number of admissions... are', 'medical doctors decrease'), and incorrect conditional forms ('If their will be little research'). Punctuation also falters occasionally with spacing around commas and periods. These errors persist but rarely impede overall communication, reflecting the characteristics of Band 6.

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