Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-08

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)

The increasing prevalance of students not choosing university to study science has attracted considerable attention. This essay will first examine why fewer students are studying science, before considering the impacts it creates in society should be regarded as positive or negative.

Several explanation may account for this phenomenon. The most influential factor is universities do not offer many specialisations or fewer immediate career oppurtunities. Another contributing element is difficult and lengthy courses which has encouraged students to choose other fields.

From my perspective, this tendency should be viewed as negative. The strongest arguement in favour of this assessment is scientific subjects are are considered difficult because they require strong analytical and mathematical abilities. Secondly, some students may attracted to careers in business, technology, media or entertainment because these fields are perceived to provide faster financial returns. For example, students may choose business management or digital marketing instead of physics and chemistry because they expect to find employement faster and more easily after graduation.

This trend can have serious serious consequences for society. One major effect is shortage of qualified scientists and researchers. Without enough proffesionals in these fields, countries may struggke to develop new medicines, improve healthcare, and create innovative technologies. Another consequence is that scientific progress may slow down, which can affect economic growth and national development. For instance, a shortage of resarchers could reduce the country's ability to develop solutions for problems such as climate change, new diseases, and energy shortages.

In conclusion, the declining interest in university science courses is mainly caused by perceived difficulty of these subjects and attraction of other career options. This can lead to a shortage of scientific professionals and may slow down technological and economic progress. Therefore, governments and educational institutes should encourage more students to consider careers in science.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear view that the trend is negative. The causes you identify—limited course or career options, demanding study, and the appeal of other careers—are relevant, while the effects paragraph explains shortages of scientists and slower scientific and economic progress. The examples involving medicine, climate change and energy make the consequences more concrete. However, the causes are less fully explained than the effects: the claim that universities offer “not many specialisations” or “fewer immediate career opportunities” is asserted without showing how this discourages applicants. The discussion also shifts briefly to whether the trend is positive or negative, which the prompt does not directly ask. Develop each cause with a clearer explanation or example to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on effects, and a conclusion. The sequence is easy to follow, and signposting such as “Another consequence” and “For instance” helps connect supporting details to the main point. The conclusion also accurately gathers the central causes and effects. However, some transitions feel mechanical, particularly “This essay will first examine…” and “From my perspective,” which introduces an opinion about positive or negative effects rather than smoothly developing the causes. The causes paragraph would benefit from clearer internal progression, with each cause followed directly by its explanation. Use referencing and linking phrases more naturally so that connections between ideas are clear without relying mainly on formulaic signposts.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “analytical and mathematical abilities,” “qualified scientists and researchers,” “innovative technologies,” and “economic growth.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and some phrases show an attempt to use more precise academic language. However, spelling errors and inaccurate word forms reduce control: examples include “prevalance,” “oppurtunities,” “arguement,” “proffesionals,” “struggke,” and “resarchers.” There are also awkward or repetitive choices, such as “serious serious consequences” and “the impacts it creates.” Aim for accurate spelling and natural collocations, and check repeated words during proofreading. More precise phrasing would help express the causes and effects with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including the introductory clause “Without enough professionals in these fields…” and the conditional phrase “should be regarded as positive or negative.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the overall meaning is clear. Some grammatical errors nevertheless appear in agreement, verb forms and sentence construction. For example, “Several explanation may account” needs a plural noun, while “difficult and lengthy courses which has encouraged” has a mismatch between the plural subject and verb. In “some students may attracted,” the verb form is incomplete, and “scientific subjects are are considered” contains an unnecessary repetition. Review subject–verb agreement and modal verb patterns, and proofread for repeated or missing words. Greater accuracy across these structures would strengthen the range you already attempt.

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