Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-15

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 most of the countries, much of the students are not choosing to study science as their major at university level.

This can be because of a number of different causes but according to my point of view it is because the world is changing so rapidly and many different types of new technolgies are evolving day by day. Due to this, students are not choosing to study science because they fear of future of the sciene and the scope of these fields. Students are more into the practical and skilled based degrees. Now a days, students are still choosing business and management fields due to verstality of these fields. On the other hand, science is more unidirectional field and the students have only few options after completing their studies. For example, most of the science graduates switch their fields due to less job oportunities.

However, computer science is the one field that is in demand and also has scope and future. Students are diving into this and chosing computer based degrees such as Artificial Intellegence, Robotics and Machine Learning at university level. As 21st century is known as the golden era of technology, students are preffering technical and social fields over science.

The major effect on society of students not choosing science at university is that the society may face a shortage of science experts in near future. For example, there may be shortage of science teachers at school level and scientists at industrial level. This could be a headach in the coming years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you suggest that students are drawn to practical degrees and business because science seems to offer fewer career options, then identify a possible shortage of teachers and scientists as a social effect. These are relevant points, and the examples of graduates changing fields and future staffing shortages help make them concrete. However, the causes are not fully explained, and the discussion sometimes shifts from science generally to computer science without clarifying the distinction. The effects section is especially brief and focuses on one consequence; explain how shortages could affect areas such as research, industry, or public services. A clearer, more consistently developed explanation of each part would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening, a discussion of causes, a paragraph about computer science, and a concluding paragraph on effects. Linking expressions such as “Due to this,” “On the other hand,” and “However” show an effort to connect ideas. Nevertheless, the progression is not always clear: the paragraph beginning “However” introduces computer science but does not clearly connect this example to the earlier explanation of why students avoid science. The final paragraph moves to effects abruptly and offers little development. Use topic sentences to signal each main point, and make the relationship between ideas explicit rather than relying mainly on transition phrases. This would create a more continuous line of argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “job opportunities,” “science graduates,” “shortage,” and “Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Machine Learning.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and several inaccurate or informal choices reduce precision. For example, “unidirectional field” does not clearly express the intended contrast, while “headach” is an unsuitable informal choice for an academic essay. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “technolgies,” “sciene,” “verstality,” and “Intellegence.” Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for career prospects and the consequences of a skills shortage would help express your ideas more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a cause clause in “Due to this, students are not choosing to study science because…” and a conditional sentence beginning “This could be…”. The main meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur in basic sentence patterns and agreement. For instance, “much of the students” should use a plural quantifier, and “students … fear of future” is missing a grammatical construction such as “fear the future” or “are concerned about the future.” The opening sentence also has an awkward article and number pattern. Some sentences are long and combine several claims, making control less secure. Practise accurate noun phrases, verb patterns, and sentence boundaries while retaining a mix of structures.

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