Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-19

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)

Not choosing science courses at university by enough students has become a growing concern in many part of the world. This problem cause a significant impact on society and the economy. This situation can be attributed to several factors, and a number of effective measures can be taken to address it.

One major cause of this problem is the difficulty level of science courses. The main reason behind this is the way of teaching these courses. In many countries like India, Pakistan and many others, most of universities focus more on theoretical portion rather then teaching same topic practically and this thing cause difficulty for students to learn that topic. Another contributing factor is the limited career appeal, which means that for some specific courses like engineering, there are not so many jobs so that every student can have jobs after completing their studies. Because of these reasons students are not choosing science courses at university.

There are several possible steps which can be taken to solve this problem. One major step which should be taken by universities and the ministory of education is that universities should focus heavily on practical learning approach and provide enough lab visits to students so that they can learn same topic very easily and in a effective way. Another possible step should be taken by government by providing access to multi national companies by which there will be new job opportunities for students and they will be intrested to choose science study.

In conclusion, lack of students in science courses is mainly caused by learning approach and shortage of jobs. However, this issue can be tackled effectively through support of government of ministory of education.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify two relevant causes—teaching that is overly theoretical and limited job prospects—and briefly suggest practical teaching and government support as responses. However, the prompt asks for the effects on society, and this part is not answered: the opening mentions an impact on society and the economy, but no effects are explained or illustrated. Much of the response instead proposes solutions, which are not required. The causes are relevant but only briefly developed; for example, the claim that engineering jobs are limited needs explanation or a specific example. To strengthen the response, explain consequences such as skills shortages, slower technological development, or greater reliance on overseas expertise, and support each main idea with clear reasoning. The task is therefore addressed only partially, with ideas remaining limited and under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable paragraph structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, one on proposed measures, and a conclusion. This makes the general direction easy to follow. Basic links such as “One major cause,” “Another contributing factor,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships between points. However, the progression does not consistently follow the question: the middle paragraph shifts to solutions rather than developing the requested social effects. Several sentences also repeat the same point that students are not choosing science, and links such as “Because of these reasons” and “Another possible step” feel mechanical. Organise the body around the two task questions, use clearer links between cause and consequence, and avoid repeating ideas in the conclusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “theoretical,” “practical learning,” “career appeal,” and “job opportunities.” There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “limited career appeal.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive: “theoretical portion,” “provide enough lab visits,” and “access to multi national companies” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling errors such as “ministory” and “intrested” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations—for example, “emphasise practical instruction,” “provide access to laboratory facilities,” and “create employment opportunities.” Vary repeated references to “students” and “science courses” where possible. The meaning remains generally understandable, but these inaccuracies limit the range and control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning “which means” and “so that,” and most of the main ideas can be understood. However, errors occur across sentence structures, agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “This problem cause” should use a verb agreeing with the singular subject, while “in many part of the world” needs a plural noun. In “most of universities,” an article is missing, and “rather then teaching same topic practically” has problems with both the comparative construction and article use. Some long sentences, particularly the explanation of job prospects, are difficult to control. Practise building accurate complex sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles, plurals, and punctuation. Greater accuracy would make your reasoning clearer.

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

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