Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-10-20

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)

Science is increasingly becoming unpopular among university students, this could be due to lack of interest, awareness or personal reasons. This is leaving less room for innovation and new inventions in this rapidly changing world.

This reduction in science could be because of personal interests as the new generation students would prefer something that excites, they tend to pick majors and carreers that give them the thrill and not picking a carreer like science that only pays well. For example, I intially planned on pursuing aeronautical engineering, primarily because of the pay; however, personal reflection kicked in and i realized it's not one of my stroong areas of interest resulting in change of carreers. This could leave the scientific fields with the lack of personnel and staff that could possibly lead to less innovation and scarcity of jobs.

Moreover, this could also be caused by the lack of awareness. Some individuals may not be aware of how broad scientific fields go and how much there is to do, this could lead to students choosing something other than science. For example, my friend always loved researching about how medicine is made, its elements and the doctors' role in it. However, due to the lack of knowledge and awareness that there are scientists who research on medicines, he switched to business and is now enrolled in a university pursuing management.

This reduction in science students could also be caused by many other factors, in some countries the lack of education systems or financial constraints. All these affect the society as it leaves only a few to do a certain job, possibly increasing workload.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both causes and effects, and the personal examples about changing career plans and your friend’s interest in medicine make the causes more concrete. However, the effects are much less fully explained than the causes. You mention reduced innovation, a shortage of personnel, and increased workload, but these points are brief; the final claim about “only a few to do a certain job” could be linked more clearly to wider consequences for society. Some causes, such as financial constraints and weaknesses in education systems, are introduced only at the end and are not supported. Develop the main effects with a clear explanation or example, and ensure each cause contributes directly to answering the question.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, paragraphs presenting causes and examples, and a concluding point about social effects. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “For example” help readers follow the discussion. However, progression is uneven because the first two body paragraphs focus mainly on causes, while the effects are scattered through them and receive little separate development. The final paragraph introduces additional causes and then shifts quickly to an effect, so its purpose is not fully clear. Some references, including “This reduction” and “All these,” could identify more precisely which ideas they refer to. Organise the response around the two parts of the question and use clearer links between each cause and its consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “innovation,” “scientific fields,” “financial constraints,” and “awareness,” and the examples show an ability to discuss education and career choices. However, the range is somewhat repetitive, particularly with “science,” “students,” and “lack,” and several expressions are imprecise or unnatural. For instance, “less room for innovation” and “the lack of personnel and staff” could be expressed more precisely, while “the thrill” is informal for this discussion. There are also spelling errors such as “carreers,” “intially,” and “stroong,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise academic collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, distinguish between a shortage of qualified researchers and a general lack of awareness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including explanations with “because” and examples introduced by “For example.” Meaning is generally understandable, but sentence control is inconsistent. The opening joins two independent clauses with a comma: “Science is increasingly becoming unpopular among university students, this could be due to…”; these should be separated or joined with an appropriate connector. Other issues include “the new generation students,” “not picking a career,” and the long sentence beginning “This could leave the scientific fields,” where the relationship between ideas is difficult to follow. Capitalisation is also inconsistent, as in “i realized.” Practise accurate clause boundaries and build complex sentences with clear subjects and verbs, while checking articles and sentence punctuation.

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