Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-11
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Nowadays many people complain that they have difficulties getting enough sleep. What problems can lack of sleep cause? What can be done about lack of sleep?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
It is true that, in recent decades, many individuals have faced complexities in getting proper sleep. While there are a variety of factors responsible for it, steps can definitely be taken to address it.
Insufficient sleep has several reasons. One possible reason is a sedentary lifestyle. People nowadays are tend to have limited physical activities throuout the day, as a result they do not get tired, leading them to improper sleep. Another possible reason is increased screen time. With technological development, people have increased the usage of technological gadgets such as smartphones and laptops, for their work and enterntainment purpose. The screens of these gadgets contains UV ray, which is bad for eyes and sleep, spending a huge amount of time looking at them causes complexities in sleep.
Improper sleep can certainly be tackled. Firstly, people have to reverse their sedentary lifestyle by doing more physical activities. Joining a gym, playing sports or a daily one hour morning walk could solve this problem by a big margin. For instance, I had problem in sleeping before I started doing workouts in the gym and morning walk, it drains my energy and help me get a good sleep at night. Secondly, people should wear UV protected glass while looking at the screens, it helps to block the UV rays coming out from the screen, leading individuals to get a nice sleep.
In conclusion, lack of sleep will continue to be a problem unless the sedentary lifestyle is reversed and people are encouraged to do more exercise.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
The response addresses the topic by identifying possible causes of poor sleep and suggesting remedies, and the personal example about exercise gives one recommendation some support. However, the task asks what problems lack of sleep can cause and what can be done about it. The essay mainly explains why people may sleep poorly, so it does not answer the first question about consequences such as reduced concentration, mood changes, or health effects. The proposed solutions are also narrow: exercise is explained, but the advice about UV-protected glasses is not well supported and does not address the broader issue. To improve, organise the main body around consequences and practical responses, developing each with a clear explanation or example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay has a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, and its ideas are generally easy to follow. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “For instance” help signal the order of points. However, the first body paragraph discusses causes rather than the requested problems, which weakens the overall progression from the task questions to the conclusion. The conclusion also refers only to sedentary lifestyle and exercise, leaving the screen-related point and the question about consequences unintegrated. Some links are mechanical, and the reference in “it helps to block” could be clearer about what “it” refers to. Make each paragraph answer a distinct part of the prompt and use transitions that show the relationship between ideas.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
There is an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “sedentary lifestyle,” “technological development,” “physical activities,” and “UV protected.” The writer also attempts more formal phrasing, for example “address it” and “tackled.” Some choices are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “complexities in getting proper sleep,” “increased the usage,” and “by a big margin” do not sound idiomatic in this context. There are also spelling errors such as “throuout” and “enterntainment,” and “UV ray” is imprecise when referring to light from screens. Aim for natural collocations and precise terms, such as “difficulty sleeping,” “screen use,” and “blue light,” and proofread spelling carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including cause-and-effect clauses with “as a result” and “leading them to…,” and most meaning remains clear. Some grammatical errors occur, particularly with agreement, verb forms, and articles. For example, “People nowadays are tend to have” should be “People nowadays tend to have,” while “The screens … contains” needs a plural verb. In the personal example, “I had problem” needs an article, and “it drains my energy and help me” shifts tense and has subject–verb disagreement. The sentence beginning “Secondly” also joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Review agreement and tense consistency, and use full stops or conjunctions to connect complete clauses.
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