Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Recent IELTS Exams (Canada & India) · 2026-11-04

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)

Nowadays there is a tendency among young people who are deciding to study economics rather than science at university. It could be explain due to low pay and poor investment by governments. This can lead to lack of innovation and a decreasing number of professionals in many countries.

A major reason why young people are not choosing to study science is due to low salaries. This is because students want better-paid jobs in order to improve their lifestyle. Consequently, they are leaning towards more profitable careers, such as economics and marketing. Another important cause is the lack of resources that are being invested in science. Many governments prioritize other issues to use public funds. Because of this, scientists may have challenges building their career. For instance, many Argentine specialists are moving to Europe or North America where there are more resources available.

One important consequence could be the innovation's deficit which results from the fact that there will be less professionals to conduct research protocols. Therefore, this may compromise society's development and could have some difficulties solving problems such as illnesses, medication and environmental issues.

In addition, if less students chose to study science there would be less professionals to help people. The reason is that there will be fewer individuals pursuing science-related careers. Due to that, less people will be getting their qualifications in medicine, nursing or engeneering. For example, some patients could have problems finding a doctor to treat them.

In conclusion, low salaries and poor investment are central to the decreasing number of people that are choosing to study science. This could result in lack of innovation and professionals in many countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear focus on why fewer students choose science and what this means for society. Low salaries and limited government investment are relevant causes, and you support the latter with the example of Argentine specialists moving abroad. You also identify reduced innovation and shortages of professionals as effects. However, some effects are asserted rather than fully explained: the link between fewer science graduates and difficulties treating illnesses, for example, could be developed with a clearer explanation or specific example. The discussion of professional shortages also overlaps with the earlier point about innovation. More precise development of each effect would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for causes and effects, and a conclusion. The progression from low salaries to underinvestment, then to innovation and workforce shortages, is easy to follow. You use linking expressions such as “Consequently,” “For instance,” and “In addition” to signal relationships between ideas. At times, however, these links feel somewhat formulaic, and “Due to that” is an awkward reference to the preceding point. The two effects paragraphs also partly repeat the idea of having fewer professionals. Make the relationship between each effect clearer and use more varied referencing, while ensuring each paragraph develops a distinct consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “low salaries,” “public funds,” “conduct research,” and “society’s development.” These choices make the main ideas clear, and terms such as “innovation” and “resources” are relevant to the discussion. Some less natural collocations and word forms limit precision: “innovation’s deficit” is not idiomatic, “research protocols” does not clearly express the intended idea, and “poor investment” could be made more specific. There are also spelling and word-choice slips, including “engeneering” and “less students.” Aim for natural academic combinations and check spelling and countable/uncountable usage; this would make the vocabulary more precise and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including cause-and-effect clauses such as “This is because students want better-paid jobs” and a conditional structure beginning “if less students chose.” Most sentences remain understandable, and errors rarely obscure your meaning. Some grammatical inaccuracies persist, however. For example, “It could be explain” needs a passive participle (“explained”), and “if less students chose” requires “fewer” with a countable noun. In “there will be less professionals,” the same countable-noun issue occurs. The sentence about society’s development also has an unclear construction: “could have some difficulties solving problems.” Review verb forms, quantifiers, and clause structure, and aim for more consistently accurate complex sentences.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.