Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-06

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)

The population of students at universities who choose science as a major subject is declining sharply in several countries as from my percpective it's disadvantages outweigh its advantages.

The are several causes of that, now science students have less opportunities by contrast with enhancement of technology and artificial intelligence, which have more high paying roles and job market then a science graduates. Moreover big private gaints like Google, Facebook, Meta are frequently giving Top instutions high amounts of investment to enroll top students from worldwide for further research in techology, whereas science students are either solely dependent on themselves or government for funding which is commonly less as compare to big companies.

It has several effects at society like in many countries we are seeing the shortage of healthcare workers, as well as with engineers, this imbalance will cause the less research in science in future which results into higher prices of drugs and building materials their impact will be have much worse on poor people

In the conclution the government policy should provide equal funding and opportunities to science researchers it should crearte an enivroment were both science and techolohy can survive side by side

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both causes and effects, and your position that science needs stronger support is visible in the conclusion. The causes you identify—better-paid technology roles and greater private investment in technology—are relevant. However, the response only partially develops the task: the effects are listed briefly, with shortages of healthcare workers and engineers and higher prices, but the links between these outcomes and fewer science graduates need clearer explanation and support. The opening claim that science’s disadvantages outweigh its advantages also introduces a comparison the question does not ask you to make, and the position is not developed further. The response is 54 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to explain ideas and give examples. Develop each main point with a specific example and explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, one on effects, and a concluding recommendation. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your answer. You also use linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “whereas,” and “In the conclusion” to signal relationships between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the sentence about technology companies investing in universities introduces a related but insufficiently explained point. Some connections are mechanical or imprecise, particularly “It has several effects at society like,” and the effects are compressed into one long sequence. Use clearer topic sentences, separate distinct effects, and make cause-and-effect links explicit. This would strengthen cohesion and make the paragraphing more effective.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “high-paying roles,” “investment,” “funding,” “research,” and “shortage of healthcare workers.” These choices show that you can discuss employment and social consequences, and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the reader pause. For example, “less opportunities” and “higher prices of drugs and building materials their impact” do not express the intended relationships clearly. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “percpective,” “instutions,” and “conclution.” Aim for accurate topic-specific phrases and check spelling carefully. More precise wording would help you explain the effects and compare career incentives without relying on broad or awkward expressions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “whereas” and a cause-and-effect statement beginning “this imbalance will cause.” This gives the response some structural variety. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and frequent errors can make relationships difficult to follow. For example, “The are several causes of that” has an incorrect subject construction, while “which have more high paying roles and job market then a science graduates” contains problems with clause structure and comparison. The effects sentence also runs several ideas together without clear punctuation, and “their impact will be have” has an incorrect verb form. Practise building one complete idea per sentence, checking subject–verb agreement, articles, plurals, and verb forms, then use punctuation to separate linked effects.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.