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)

At present time some people argue that they can not get enough sleep and eventually their physical health and mental health suffers. I believe after taking some significant steps this issue can be solve like work and life balance

On the one hand, Some people object that there are a lot of hurdles in getting sleep. There are many aspects which are affecting sleep schedule. Firstly, some individuals work for 12 to 14 hours in a day and after that they try to spend time with their family, so they can sleep for some hours. Ultimately, after some time they become sick and struggle with depression. Secondly, students study almost for whole day because education is becoming extremely competitive so they can not get enough sleep and this thing bother their grades.

On the other hand, I believe their should be balance in life. For example, working hours could not exceed from 8 hours in a day so that employees can maintain their work and life. Students can also create balance between studies and rest time. For instance, if they study on the daily basis and do not leave assignments for the end their burden will be less and they can sleep for hours.

In conclusion,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both parts of the question: you identify health and depression as consequences, and suggest balancing work and study with rest. The examples about long working hours and students’ workloads are relevant. However, the effects are only briefly explained, and the solutions are not developed enough to show clearly how they would improve sleep. The opening gives a general position, but the unfinished conclusion (“In conclusion,”) leaves the response without a final summary. The response also does not meet the required minimum length, which limits the opportunity to develop and support your ideas. Explain the consequences more fully and add practical measures, such as reducing screen use before bed or keeping a regular sleep schedule.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and an attempted conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the shift from problems to solutions, and “Firstly” introduces an example. However, the two-part structure is not fully balanced: the first body paragraph discusses causes as well as effects, while the second gives solutions, and the conclusion is left unfinished. Some links are mechanical, and references such as “this thing” are vague. Organise the body paragraphs explicitly around the two questions, use clearer links between each problem and its consequence, and complete the conclusion so the progression feels finished.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “physical health,” “depression,” “competitive,” and “assignments.” There are also attempts at less common phrasing, such as “hurdles” and “maintain their work and life,” but some combinations are unnatural or imprecise. For example, “getting sleep” is less natural than “getting enough sleep,” and “their burden will be less” does not clearly express the intended reduction in workload. Repetition of “sleep,” “balance,” and “some” also limits variety. Build a more precise range of collocations for sleep and workload, and check that each chosen phrase expresses the intended meaning naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because” and “so,” and most ideas remain understandable. However, errors occur in several sentence patterns. For example, “their physical health and mental health suffers” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “this issue can be solve” uses the wrong verb form. Other examples include “their should be balance” and “students study almost for whole day,” where sentence construction and articles need attention. Capitalisation after “On the one hand” is also inconsistent. Practise checking agreement, articles, and verb forms, especially in longer sentences, and proofread punctuation and capital letters before submitting.

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