Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-14

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 6.5)

In the contemporary world, getting enough sleep has become a major concern for many people, as a lack of proper sleep can negatively affect their physical and mental health. This essay will discuss the major problems caused by sleep derivation and suggest some effective ways to overcome this issue.

To begin with, it is easy to understand how lack of sleep puts detrimental effect on the people. Firstly, lack of sleep can damage people's physical health and people usually suffer from headaches, weakness and other health problems. When they are not getting enough sleep then they can easily reduce their concentration ability which directly effect their work and daily routine. For instance, student with lack of sleep may find difficult to understand classroom lessons and easily forget about important information during exams. Moreover, insufficient sleep can increase anxiety and stress level which reduce the productivity of the person at the workplace. So, when people are not getting enough sleep their physical and mental health suffer a lot.

On the other side, people can tackle this issue by improving their daily habits or routine. They should follow a fixed sleeping schedule everyday and they should go to bed at proper time and wake up at exact time on regularly basis. Apart from this, they should avoid using mobile phones or other electronic devices before bedtime. Instead of scrolling videos on social media platforms, they can read a book before sleeping. In addition to this, daily physical activity can also improve sleep quality and people can go for cycling, walking and running. Thus, in these ways people can improve their sleeping cycle and make their life healthier.

In the conclusion, insufficient sleep can various health problems to the individuals. However, when they follow a healthy lifestyle and proper sleeping schedule they can overcome this issue efficiently.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt and maintains a clear focus: it identifies physical and mental consequences, then offers practical ways to improve sleep. The examples about students struggling to follow lessons and remember information help make the effects relevant. This meets the core requirements strongly, but some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For example, headaches and weakness are listed without showing how they affect daily life, while the advice about exercise is not linked clearly to how it improves sleep. To strengthen the response further, explain the consequences and solutions in more depth, such as how sleep loss can affect safety or how a consistent bedtime routine supports the body clock. The conclusion also repeats the main points rather than adding a final implication.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear four-paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to problems, solutions and a conclusion. The progression within each main paragraph is generally easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” “Apart from this” and “In addition to this” signal the development of ideas. This organisation is effective, though some transitions feel formulaic or imprecise. “On the other side” is less suitable for introducing solutions, and repeated use of “lack of sleep” and “people” makes parts of the discussion less smooth. The sentence beginning “So, when people are not getting enough sleep” largely restates the preceding points. Use more precise referencing and vary transitions, while ensuring each sentence adds a distinct step to the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “physical and mental health,” “concentration ability,” “anxiety and stress,” “sleeping schedule” and “sleep quality.” These choices make the main ideas clear, and the writer attempts more formal language in phrases such as “contemporary world” and “detrimental effect.” However, some less common expressions are inaccurate or unnatural: “sleep derivation” should be “sleep deprivation,” and “puts detrimental effect on” is not a natural collocation. There is also repetition of “lack of sleep,” “people” and “improve.” Aim for accurate collocations and more precise alternatives, rather than choosing formal-sounding phrases that do not fit. The suggestions below offer practical replacements drawn from the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional example (“When they are not getting enough sleep…”) and a relative clause (“which directly effect their work and daily routine”). The overall meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “a student … may find difficult” needs an object (“may find it difficult”), and “which directly effect” requires subject–verb agreement (“affects”). Other examples include “stress level” where a plural form is needed, and “can various health problems,” which needs a verb such as “cause.” Articles and sentence construction also need attention in “student with lack of sleep.” Check agreement, missing words and article use during revision, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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