Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-02

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 of the world not many students have desire to study science at university. In my opinion, the main cause of this is science being promoted as smart people's subject. It has an negative impact on development of society.

One of the main reason for science being less popular among students is, nowadays, the subject science is seen as a subject that can only be learned by smart individuals. This development has lead to an negative establisment in young students mind about science. For instance, in my country, taking science stream in high school is only suggested to students that have performed great in studies. This culture has limit the thinking of an average student to choose science over other streams.

In many countries this thinking still exists, this has lead decrease in number of students choosing science.

It has many disadvantages to the society, one them is, in human evolution innovation has played a big role and without science it would not possible to understand the concepts and innovate. Students not choosing might lead to brain drain in the future, it will lead to slow growth of society in coming days. Furthermore, science have variety of subjects and many industries depend on development on such particular subjects. The innovation will take time, hence the growth of such industries will slow down with it too.

In conclusion, In this modern time students have less desire to choose to study science at university, it has come to this because, science is being promoted as intelligent student's subject. It has lead to slow growth of the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the causes of the decline in science students and the effects on society, which places it within the mid-range descriptors. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the discussion on the cause focuses narrowly on the perception that science is a subject only for smart individuals, without exploring alternative factors such as career prospects or tuition costs. Similarly, the societal impacts, such as brain drain and slower industrial growth, are introduced but lack detailed extension or concrete examples. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to provide more fully developed explanations and extend their arguments with specific supporting details and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a discernible overall structure with distinct paragraphs tackling the introduction, causes, effects, and conclusion, showing some basic organization. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally disjointed, and referencing is not always clear, such as in the second paragraph where sentences feel slightly disconnected. Cohesive devices are used rather repetitively and sometimes inaccurately, leading to mechanical transitions between points. For example, sentences like 'In many countries this thinking still exists, this has lead decrease in number...' demonstrate inadequate punctuation and faulty linkage. To improve, the writer should employ a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices and ensure that each paragraph flows logically into the next with smoother transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough range to communicate basic points about education and society. However, there is a noticeable presence of word-choice errors, imprecise collocations, and spelling mistakes, such as 'establisment' instead of 'establishment' and 'lead' instead of 'led' in past-tense contexts. The writer attempts less common vocabulary items like 'innovation' and 'brain drain', but these attempts often suffer from awkward phrasing or repetition. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire, utilize more precise scientific and academic terminology, and demonstrate greater control over word forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The text displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are frequent errors in grammar, including missing articles (e.g., 'It has an negative impact', 'has lead to slow growth'), incorrect verb tenses, and punctuation errors like comma splices. These recurring errors can cause occasional difficulty for the reader in following the precise meaning. To progress, the writer needs to increase sentence variety by mastering complex sentence structures, ensuring accurate subject-verb agreement, and paying closer attention to articles and prepositions within grammatical patterns.

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