Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-03

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 6.5)

Recently, in many countries there has been considerable decline in the enrollment number of students in science subjects at a univeristy. This essay highlights its causes and the impact it can have on society.

There are several reasons why student in many countries are not choosing science subjects anymore. Firstly, administration and examination processes are often mundane, unclear and inconsistent. As a result it has been difficult for students to pass the entrance examination. For instance, students work hard for months and months, and when they appear for the exam, either the paper is leaked or seats are limited. Therefore, many students get demotivated and opt out of science fields. Additionally, in previous times science oriented-subjects were given preference over arts and humanities. Due to globalization, humanities programs are widely recognized and student-enrollment rate has increased. Moreover, in developing countries, there are limited job opportunities for someone from science background. For instance, in Pakistan graduates of biology, zoology and biochemistry end up being a teacher. There aren't enough resources or platforms that can support professionals such as a scientist, an astronaut, or any researcher.

If students will continue to choose other courses and enrollment in science fields kept declining, it will have a detrimental impact on society. Firstly, there won't be enough doctos to treat patients and biochemists to invent vaccinations. As a result, innovations and inventions will only be found in earlier periods. The professionals and experts of science fields are mandatory to sustain the society we live in. Also, students who couldn't achieve a slot in science fields often end up enrolling in programs, they are least interested in. For example, in my BS-English program, half of the students were from science background who couldn't get in their dream courses and chose English instead. Eventually, by the second semester failed the courses and dropped it. It puts people in wrong professions resulting in low quality professionals and experts.

To sum up, nowadays more and more students are opting out of science subjects due to lack of transparency in administration and examination processes, limited job opportunities after graduation and wider major choices aligning with personal interests. It can result in lack of doctors, enginners and other professionals and low quality field professionals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by identifying both causes and societal effects of the decline in science students, maintaining a clear position throughout. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of limited job opportunities in Pakistan and the personal anecdote regarding the BS-English program. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise in certain sections, and some arguments are slightly more developed than others, which places the response securely at this level. To move further, the writer could ensure that all supporting points are fully explored with even greater depth and precision, avoiding slight generalisations regarding administration and examination processes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are presented coherently, and the response is suitably divided into introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to guide the reader through the causes and effects, employing transition phrases like 'Firstly', 'Additionally', and 'As a result'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally a bit mechanical or repetitive, as seen in the structuring of body paragraphs. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to employ cohesive devices even more flexibly and subtly, ensuring that paragraph transitions flow completely naturally without relying on formulaic sequencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing a sufficient range to discuss the topic with some flexibility. The writer attempts less common vocabulary items such as 'detrimental impact', 'globalization', and 'innovations', demonstrating an awareness of academic style. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, spelling, and word forms, such as 'univeristy', 'science oriented-subjects', 'doctos', and 'enginners'. Furthermore, minor collocation slips occur, such as 'end up being a teacher' instead of plural forms matching the context. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the writer from reaching a higher band where precise lexical control and rare item usage are more consistent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct compound and conditional sentences, such as 'If students will continue to choose other courses...'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including tense inconsistency in conditional clauses ('If students will continue...'), missing articles ('from science background'), and awkward punctuation placement. Nevertheless, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments easily. To reach the next level, the writer must incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex structures and eliminate persistent minor errors in verb forms, prepositions, and article usage.

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