Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-09-30

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)

Science is a diverse field which includes different subjects. The major subjects that falls under science are; botnay, zoology, chemistry, physics and environmental sciences. In the past majority students opt science as a major but the trend have been changed. Now, students are more interesed in technology and software. In my opionin the reason for this drastic change is the limited career options after choosing science, other major reason is the low income assosiated with such jobs because the jobs most students gets after completed their bachelor's in science is teaching at schools or college. I guess there are more options when you work with software and technology with hefty salaries. There is also a possibilty that you get hired by any international firm that pay you in dollars with flexible wording hours.

There is a real life example, one of my cousin have done bachelor's with major in science, she is currently working at a school with a salary pakage of sixty thousand. Her routine is too hectic, there is alot of workload and she barely get anytime for herself. On the other hand there is a friend of mine who have studied software engineering. Right after completion of degree he got hired by an international firm with starting package of 1 lakh 50,000 Pkr. Other than the package there are incentives too that are included in his contract. Apart from all this he can do his office work in the comfort of his home.

That is why youth are now switcing fields to get all the comfort they truly deserved because study now a days is more like an investment, so it's better to invest in right place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the causes of the decline in science students and the effects on society. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and relies heavily on anecdotal evidence rather than broader societal impacts. For instance, the causes are identified as limited career options and low income, and the effects are briefly illustrated through personal anecdotes about a cousin and a friend. While a position is clear throughout, the support remains somewhat personal and narrow, fitting the criteria for Band 6 where relevant ideas are presented but remain partially under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement and attempts to organize ideas into paragraphs. However, paragraphing is somewhat irregular, with the main body split into a very long second paragraph that mixes causes and personal examples. Cohesive devices are occasionally faulty or mechanical, such as the abrupt transitions ('That is why youth are now switcing fields...'). Referencing is mostly clear, but the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother and more structured to achieve a higher band. Overall, the organizational structure aligns best with Band 5 or 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'drastic change', 'hefty salaries', and 'incentives'. However, there are notable spelling errors and awkward word choices, such as 'botnay' instead of botany, 'interesed' instead of interested, 'assosiated' instead of associated, 'completes' instead of completion, and 'switcing' instead of switching. Additionally, currency terms like '1 lakh 50,000 Pkr' reflect a localized register. These errors do not completely impede communication, placing the vocabulary performance solidly at Band 5.5 to 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structure. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('subjects that falls', 'majority students opt'), punctuation errors (comma splices and missing commas), and missing articles ('with major in science'). While meaning is generally conveyed and communication is rarely impeded, the density of grammatical inaccuracies prevents the text from reaching a Band 6, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.

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

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