Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-17
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The most important aim of science should be to improve people’s lives. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 6.5)
It is often argued that the primary purpose of the scientific research should be to enhance the human welfare and solve practical and word problems. While I agree that uplifting the human lives is a vital responsibility of the scientific community, I disagree that it should be the sole and absolute priority.
On the one hand, science must focus on solving real-world problems. The most significant scientific discoveries are those that save lives and ensure human survival. For instance, medical advancements have provided vaccines and antibiotics that cure deadly diseases and increase life expectancy. In addition, agricultural science enables farmers to produce more food, which prevents wide spread hunger. Therefore, using science to directly benefit humanity is both a necessity and a duty.
On the other hand, science should also be about learning new things just out of curiositty. If scientists only focus on solving current problems, we might miss out on huge future discoveries. For example, when scientists first studied the rules of space and light, they did not know it would be useful. Today, that same science is used to make smartphones and computers. This shows that studying pure science is important, even if we do not see an immediate use for it.
In conclusion, while improving the quality of human life is undeniably a crucial aim of science, it should not be viewed as the only important one. A balanced approach that can support both science for immediate problem-solving and basic science for more exploration is necessary to ensure long-term progress for humanity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response fully addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear, nuanced position that while science should prioritize human welfare, basic research is also vital. The ideas are well-developed with relevant examples, such as medical advancements, agriculture, and the foundational science behind smartphones. The writer maintains a consistent stance throughout the essay, meeting all criteria for a Band 7.0 or 8.0. The arguments are supported effectively and extended logically across the body paragraphs, making the case convincing.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, starting with a clear introduction, followed by balanced body paragraphs introduced by cohesive markers such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand', and concluding with a concise summary. Cohesive devices are used appropriately without being overly mechanical. Paragraphing is skilfully handled to separate different facets of the argument. Referencing is clear and tracking of ideas is well-managed, aligning comfortably with Band 7.0 requirements.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for an academic discussion, using terms like 'enhancement', 'vital responsibility', 'life expectancy', and 'pure science'. There are occasional slight lexical inaccuracies, such as 'word problems' instead of 'world problems' in the introduction, and 'curiositty' with a spelling error. However, the writer successfully attempts less common lexical items with general awareness of style and collocation, ensuring that the vocabulary range is sufficient for precision, thus meriting a solid Band 6.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional-like clauses and subordinate clauses such as 'While I agree that uplifting the human lives is a vital responsibility...' and 'Today, that same science is used to make smartphones and computers.' There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as the redundant article in 'the scientific research' and 'human lives'. Nevertheless, the majority of sentences are accurate, and punctuation is handled correctly, allowing the text to read smoothly and supporting a Band 7.0 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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