Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-07

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 contries of the world ,fewer students are choosing to study science at university. This essay will discuss the main reasons for this trend and its effects on society.

There are several reasons why students may aviode science-related subjects.First of all, science courses are often considered difficult because they require strong knowladge of mathematics, experiments and technical concepts . As a result, many students prefer subjects that they believe are easier to study and complete. Another important reason is that some science careers require many years of education and training. For example, becoming a doctor , researcher or scientist can take a considerable amount of time before a person starts earning a good income. In addition, students may choosevfields such as buiness, IT or social media because they believe these areas can provide quicker career opportunities.

This trend can have several negative effects on society. One major consequence is a shortage of skilled scientists and researchers. This could slow down developments in areas such as medicine,environmental proctection and technology. Furthermore,countries may become dependent on other nations for scientists , it may have to import advanced medical equipment or rely on foreign research. In the long term, this can reduce a country's ability to solve its own problems and complete internationally.

In conclusion, the declining interest in university science courses is mainly caused by the difficulty of these subjects, the lenthly training requried andx the attraction of alternative careers. If this trend countries, society may face shortage of scientific professionals and slower technological and medical progree

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you identify causes, including the perceived difficulty of science and the lengthy training for some careers, and describe effects such as shortages of researchers and slower progress in medicine and technology. These ideas are relevant, but several are asserted rather than fully explained; for instance, the point about choosing business, IT or social media could be linked more clearly to why these options attract students. The effect of relying on other countries is also difficult to follow. The conclusion attempts to summarise the response, but its final sentence is incomplete. The response is 248 words, so it does not meet the 250-word minimum; the eight words copied from the prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on effects and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “First of all,” “Another important reason,” and “Furthermore” help signal the progression. However, some connections are mechanical, and the effects paragraph contains a sentence that joins ideas unclearly: “countries may become dependent on other nations for scientists, it may have to import…” The reference “it” is also unclear. The conclusion’s final sentence breaks off, weakening the sense of closure. To improve, use clearer sentence boundaries and make pronouns refer unmistakably to a country or society, while developing links between each cause or effect rather than relying mainly on signposting phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “science-related subjects,” “skilled scientists and researchers,” “environmental protection,” and “career opportunities.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some phrases show an attempt to be precise. However, spelling errors are noticeable, including “contries,” “knowladge,” “proctection,” and “lenthly,” and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, such as “complete internationally” and “if this trend countries.” These slips sometimes make the reader work to infer the intended meaning. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose natural combinations—for example, “compete internationally” and “if this trend continues”—so your topic vocabulary is expressed accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including a reason clause (“because they require…”) and a conditional construction (“If this trend…”). The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors in sentence construction and punctuation sometimes interrupt clarity. For example, “countries may become dependent on other nations for scientists, it may have to import…” joins two independent clauses with only a comma, and the final sentence, “If this trend countries…,” is incomplete. There are also inconsistent spaces around punctuation and commas. Work on completing conditional sentences and separating independent clauses with a full stop or an appropriate conjunction. More accurate sentence boundaries would make your range of structures easier to follow.

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