Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-17

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)

In many countries, fewer students are choosing to study science at university. In recent years, students have increasingly pursued their interests in other fields rather than choosing science-related degrees. This trend may have several causes and both positive and negative effects on society.

The main cause is the greater freedom the younger generation has compared with previous generations. In the past, parents often decided what their children would study, so most students would study medicine and engineering. However, now parents are more willing to let their children make their own career choices and pick subjects for their higher education. For instance, in Pakistan, a lot of parents still force their children to study science-related subjects, as they do not believe that people can live a happy life by following their passion. However, due to digitalization, it is easier to follow your passion and earn through it. This is because people can gain a large audience online. I believe that the main cause is that young people are allowed to follow their passions, as parents have realized that every child has their own interests and talents. Therefore, students pick the subjects they want to study.

The positive effect is that there are more unconventional professions now. There are more singers, actors, and artists. People are now studying acting and taking classes in singing and art. Society is becoming more diverse, as people are not concentrating only on science-related subjects. The negative implication is that the world might have fewer doctors, engineers, and scientists than it needs. Young people are focusing on their passions, whereas in the past, many students pursued medicine and engineering. As the population grows, the declining interest in science subjects could become a serious concern.

In conclusion, one reason fewer students are choosing science degrees is that they have greater freedom to pursue other interests, as their parents no longer force them to study particular subjects. This makes society more diverse, which is a positive development, but it might also result in a shortage of doctors and engineers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear position: greater freedom to choose careers is presented as a cause, while a more diverse society and possible shortages of professionals are identified as effects. The examples of Pakistan and online audiences help illustrate the cause. However, the explanation that parental freedom leads specifically to fewer science students is not fully established, and the positive effect focuses mainly on singers, actors and artists rather than explaining broader social benefits. The possible shortage of doctors, engineers and scientists is relevant but would benefit from a concrete consequence or example. Develop these links more fully and distinguish clearly between the causes of the trend and its effects.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on effects, and a conclusion. Ideas generally progress logically, and signposts such as “The main cause,” “The positive effect,” and “In conclusion” make the organisation easy to follow. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent arrangement and shows some of the clearer progression associated with a stronger performance. However, the cause paragraph repeats the idea of parental freedom in several forms, and the link between digitalization and the decline in science study could be made more explicit. The effects paragraph also moves quickly from diversity to a professional shortage. Reduce repetition and use clearer transitions to show how each point connects to the question.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss education and society, including “career choices,” “science-related degrees,” “unconventional professions,” and “declining interest.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and there are attempts to use more specific language. At times, however, wording is broad or repetitive: “follow their passion” appears several times, while “positive development” and “serious concern” do not specify the effects in much detail. Some expressions are also less precise for the argument, such as “greater freedom the younger generation has,” which could identify freedom to choose a field of study. Aim for more precise topic vocabulary and varied phrasing, especially when explaining the relationship between students’ choices and society’s needs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, and many sentences are controlled, including “As the population grows, the declining interest in science subjects could become a serious concern.” Conditional and subordinate structures help express cause and consequence, and errors rarely interfere with meaning. Some sentence patterns are less controlled or repetitive, however. For example, “The main cause is the greater freedom the younger generation has compared with previous generations” is understandable but awkwardly constructed; “greater freedom among younger people” would be more natural. The repeated use of “There are more…” also limits structural variety. Continue using complex clauses, while checking that comparisons and longer sentences are phrased clearly and naturally.

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