Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-28
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)
There is an ongoing debate about whether only a few students choose to learn science at university. This essay will discuss the main problems associated with this issue and its effects on the society.
One of the major cause is having a variety of subjects. Learners are free to choose their subjects according to their interests and pursue their career in that field. It is not necessary that everyone loves to learn science, some are good at maths, history and english. If all of the students choose technical field, other sectors like banks and schools lead to fewer workers which affects the society. Secondly, students want to choose easily the future goals because science is the subject which needs more attention and hard work to crack the entrance exams. Due to vast competition only a few of the students got admissions and rest of them reappear for next year and continue their preperation. It is not good for their mental health and for their academics.
Nevertheless, choosing other subjects bring more opportunities to the learners. They have a variety of jobs which needs workers like lawyers, police men, drivers, teachers, sales man, accountants. These white collar jobs brighten the student's upcomings. Having a variety of jobs are not only balance the country but also may rise the nation's economy and good for its overall development.
In conclusion, learners have right to choose their syllabus according to their wish by which they pay more attraction towards their study and obtain good marks in their examination.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing causes such as student subject choice and competitive entrance exams, as well as societal effects related to career paths and the economy. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat superficial and confused in places. For instance, the paragraph addressing causes conflates subject variety with entrance exam difficulties without fully explaining why fewer students choose science. Furthermore, the discussion on effects touches upon the rise of the nation's economy, but the argument wanders into lists of white-collar jobs without deep analysis. While the position is generally clear, the ideas lack sufficient extension and support to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed, placing this submission firmly at a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraph boundaries dividing the introduction, causes, effects, and conclusion. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. Transition words are sometimes misused or lack logical connection, such as using 'Nevertheless' to introduce the benefits of choosing other subjects, which does not signal a true concession or contrast with the preceding paragraph. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'this issue and its effects on the society' followed by arguments that pivot unexpectedly. Paragraphing is present and generally attempts to group related ideas, but the internal progression within body paragraphs needs tighter logical control. This performance aligns with the descriptors for Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'ongoing debate', 'pursue their career', and 'overall development'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form throughout the text. Examples include 'One of the major cause' (grammatical slip with plural agreement), 'choose easily the future goals', 'vast competition', 'got admissions', 'preperation' (spelling error), 'white collar jobs', and 'pay more attraction'. These lexical errors and awkward collocations occasionally impede smooth reading, although meaning is generally communicated. This vocabulary profile corresponds to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like conditional and relative clauses ('If all of the students choose technical field...', 'science is the subject which needs more attention...'). However, the text contains frequent grammatical errors in tense consistency, article usage, subject-verb agreement, and pluralization. Notable errors include 'One of the major cause is', 'the society' instead of 'society', 'a few of the students got admissions', 'reappear for next year', 'choosing other subjects bring', 'police men', 'sales man', and 'Having a variety of jobs are not only balance'. These errors persist across the text, though they rarely obscure the overall meaning. This corresponds to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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