Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-24

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)

Nowadays, in many countries, fewer students are choosing to study science at their universities. Instead, many students are preferring subjects like finance, management, arts or business. There are several reasons for this situation, and it may have a negative effect on the society.

One of the big reasons could be that science subjects are considered difficult. Students might not be interested in this particular field since an early age. Studying subjects of science requires extensive diligence. Doing labwork, coursework, experiments and preparing for examinations could be tiring and exhausting for students who lack interest in the first place. Some schools may not have good laboratories, experienced teachers or even teaching methods. Students may find it tiring. Another reason could be that students find good job opportunities and salaries in other fields like business or art.

This coud have a negative impact on the society. Firstly, a shortage of science graduates would cause lack of scientists, researchers and even doctors. These professionals are important because they develop new medicines, technologies and save lives. A dramatic decrease would lead to dependecy on professionals from other countried. This could also negatively impact our countries economic development and and slow down the development of local industries. If fewer students study science, countries may face difficulties for innovation.

In conclusion, fewer students might be opting for science as they may find it difficult for less beneficial than other existing subjects in universities. However, lack of science graduates would lead to slowing down of innovation and economic development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by identifying the causes of the decline in science students, such as perceived difficulty and lack of career appeal, and discusses the effects on society, including shortages of professionals and slower innovation. The position is clear throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant and supported with explanations, such as the mention of laboratory work and the reliance on foreign professionals. However, some points, particularly regarding school facilities and secondary causes, could have been extended further to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is well-managed, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 7, and clearly covers the prompt comprehensively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose: introduction, causes, effects, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader through the arguments, such as 'One of the big reasons', 'This could have a negative impact', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as starting multiple paragraphs with similar transitional structures. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas clearly. The logical flow is maintained throughout, though minor improvements in lexical cohesion and referencing would elevate this score further.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating subject-specific terms like 'diligence', 'laboratory', 'innovation', and 'economic development'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations feel slightly unnatural or awkward, such as 'studying subjects of science' instead of 'studying science', or 'countries economic development' instead of 'countries' economic development'. Spelling is generally accurate, with minor errors like 'coud' and 'countried' (which appear to be typographical slips). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over conditional structures and subordinate clauses, such as 'If fewer students study science, countries may face difficulties for innovation.' There are some grammatical errors and typographical mistakes present, such as 'This coud have a negative impact on the society' (article misuse with 'society'), 'dependecy on professionals from other countried', and a double conjunction error in 'development and and slow down'. Despite these errors, the majority of simple sentences are clear, and the punctuation is generally adequate. The errors rarely impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6 range.

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

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