Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-29

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)

In many regions, few students are willing to pursue higher studies in the science department, because of certain reasons. Such as, a dramatical shift towards other departments like Information technology, Healthcare and arts. Youngsters are now priorities their area of interest rather than choose same typical courses. That can effect the socienty in different manners.

In today's rapidly evolving world, young adults are not really apealed by some traditional departments such as science and engineering. Students are now aware of their interests and passion, they have good insight about what profession they should choose according to their capabilities, which is somehow good for the society and for themselves, because they can learn and perform at their maximum potential. The world will get experets who are responsible and dedicated to their work and it will lead to higher work satisfaction level. Now a days student don't choose their higher studies blindly consequently, universities now offer a variety of courses for every field and promotes foundational year in which they allow students to study multiple subjects within a year to unfold their interests and can choose the right path for the future.

Neverthless, this can create some challenges, if fewer students choose science for higher education, it can effect the competitiveness of the field. The merit have to be compromised if people stop enrolling in the subject, but it would be an exageration if i say science departments have to lower their standards because students are not choosing the field, although the numbers are reduced but there is still a genius majority who is passionate about science. It might reduce the number but quality over quantity can fix the issue.

In conclusion, regardless of the fact that young people are choosing their passions over pressure of the society and parents to become a scientist, there is still a number of students who genuinely wants to persue the field. The world has evolved and there are many more opportunities all around people can choose according to their capabilities and strengths that will definitly effect the society positively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the causes for fewer students choosing science (such as shifts toward other fields and personal interests) and the effects on society (such as higher work satisfaction and potential impacts on field competitiveness). The position is clear throughout, and ideas are extended, such as the discussion on universities offering foundational years. However, some arguments tend to over-generalize slightly, and development is somewhat limited in places, aligning best with the Band 6.5 or Band 7 descriptors. For instance, the discussion on societal effects shifts quickly between benefits and challenges without deeper exploration. Overall, the prompt is fully addressed with relevant ideas that are reasonably supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organization. The essay is divided into four paragraphs, moving from an introduction to causes, effects/challenges, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Neverthless' and 'In conclusion', though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen with sentence fragments like 'Such as, a dramatical shift...'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. While the logical flow is mostly clear, minor lapses in cohesion and referencing prevent it from reaching a higher band. Cohesion is generally manageable for the reader, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary appropriate for the academic topic, including terms like 'foundational year', 'competitiveness', and 'capability'. However, there are notable word choice, collocation, and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'dramatical' instead of 'dramatic', 'priorities' instead of 'prioritizing', 'apealed' instead of 'appealed', 'experets' instead of 'experts', 'Neverthless', 'exageration', and 'persue'. These errors indicate an adequate range for the task but lack the precision and control expected at Band 7. Although spelling and lexical errors are frequent, they do not impede overall communication, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambitious structures like subordinate clauses and participial phrases. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are frequent punctuation and structural errors, such as sentence fragments ('Such as, a dramatical shift...'), run-on sentences ('Students are now aware of their interests and passion, they have good insight...'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('student don't choose', 'the merit have'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur often enough to prevent the writing from achieving a Band 6.5 or 7. The frequency of non-systematic errors aligns well with the Band 5.5 to 6 descriptors.

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