Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-21
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)
Science has been playing a crucial role in shaping modern society, from enhancing the health sector to producing advanced technologies and machinery. Nowadays, some people argue that the most important aim of science should be to improve people's lives. I strongly agree with this notion because scientific progress is the key to solving practical problems, scientists should allowed to pursue knowledge for its own sake.
One major reason for prioritizing the improvement of human lives is that scientific development can directly address serious concerns, where most people are not prepared for future life threats, as a result of new discoveries, it can be more beneficial for individuals. Medical research such antibiotics, and treatment for life-threatening diseases can be prevented. For example, during COVID-19 pandemic, scientists developed vaccines within a remarkably short period, which was a huge success in saving many people's life. Similarly, advanced technology, such as MRI machines and robotic surgery, have enabled doctors to diagnose and treat patients more effectively. Therefore, these demonstrated achievements can have a direct and significant impact on people's well-being.
Another important area is the environmental protection, where researchers have helped us to understand climate change and transition to greener energy by using a sustainable approach with the help of technology; such as wind turbine, solar panels and electric vehicles, which can reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and help to limit air pollution; as a result these initiatives indirectly impact public health. For instance, in developing countries, scientific innovations, such as water purification systems and effective methods for cultivating crops, cal also improve living conditions and protect communities from disease and food shortages. Therefore, contributing to scientific research towards practical human and environmental issues can provide a substantial solution.
To conclude, I largely support the view that improving people's lives should be one of the main practical goal of science because the scientific knowledge can be key to solve major problems particularly, in health care and other area of people's lives.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position throughout, agreeing that science's primary aim should be improving human lives. The ideas are generally well developed with relevant examples, such as mentioning the development of COVID-19 vaccines, MRI machines, and environmental protection initiatives like wind turbines and water purification systems. However, there is a minor contradiction and grammatical compression in the thesis statement ("scientists should allowed to pursue knowledge for its own sake"), which slightly muddies the nuance of the argument regarding whether pure science should be completely sidelined. Despite this minor lapse in full development, the main position is sustained, and the arguments are supported with logical examples, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are grouped effectively into paragraphs, moving from an introductory stance to health-related arguments, environmental considerations, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as "One major reason", "Similarly", "Another important area", and "To conclude" are used appropriately to guide the reader through the text, though some referencing and linking mechanisms within sentences feel slightly mechanical or overburdened with clauses (e.g., the long sentence in the third paragraph beginning with "where researchers have helped"). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, satisfying the criteria for a solid Band 7 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, demonstrating an awareness of appropriate academic collocations (e.g., "shaping modern society", "scientific progress", "life-threatening diseases", "fossil fuels"). Less common lexical items are attempted, such as "substantive solution" and "cultivating crops". However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation, such as saying "diseases can be prevented" instead of "deaths from diseases can be prevented", and "cal also improve" (typographical/spelling slip). These errors do not impede communication, and the overall lexical adequacy places the response firmly at Band 6.5, rounding to 6.5 or 7.0; given the successful deployment of topic-specific vocabulary, a 6.5 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer attempts a variety of complex structures with mixed success. While there are frequent error-free sentences showcasing good control (e.g., "Science has been playing a crucial role in shaping modern society..."), several sentences contain grammatical errors or awkward phrasing. For instance, the sentence containing "scientists should allowed" misses a passive auxiliary, and sentences in the second and third paragraphs are overly long and run-on, featuring comma splices or confusing relative clauses (e.g., "...serious concerns, where most people are not prepared for future life threats, as a result of new discoveries, it can be more beneficial..."). Punctuation and syntactic control are occasionally faulty, placing this performance at Band 6, where a mix of simple and complex forms is used with some persisting errors that require the reader to occasionally re-read.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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