Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-06

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 widely acknowledged that many people complain that they have difficulties getting enough sleep. This essay will discuss the problems can lack of sleep cause and the solutions can de taken about insomnia.

Firstly, the main reason why people facing difficulties getting enough sleep is stress. Because stress makes the people overthink about specific problem which leads to disturbance in the sleep pattern. For example, people who face difficult situations in work or personal life can leads to stress and unable to sleep due to overthinking. Another reason is late night sleeping and eating patterns effects the sleep routine. Nowadays people are watching reels through social media till late nights which causes disturbance in the sleep routine. For example, people who are available on digital platforms throughout the night are less active in their routine work and lack of focus results in failure in achieving dream jobs or grades in studies.

To overcome from these situations individuals should take precautions such as balanced lifestyle routine and avoiding late night cravings which can causes various health issues such as obesity and hypertension in a long term basis. Include meditation to reduce stress and participate in yoga sessions to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Including small steps in your routine plays a major impact on getting enough sleep.

To conclude, stress and and the excessive use of social media are the main reasons for not getting enough sleep. However, effective meditation and balanced lifestyle can be beneficial to address this issue and government should provide motivational programs to reduce this growing issue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the problems caused by lack of sleep and potential solutions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, while you mention stress and social media as causes, the explanation of the consequences (e.g., 'failure in achieving dream jobs') is a bit generic. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully extended with more specific examples or logical reasoning. The introduction is slightly repetitive of the prompt, and the conclusion introduces a new idea (government programs) that was not previously discussed, which slightly weakens the coherence of your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Another reason', and 'To conclude' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the logical progression is hindered by grammatical errors, such as in the sentence 'To overcome from these situations individuals should take precautions...'. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall cohesion could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the transition between ideas is smoother and less repetitive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'insomnia', 'hypertension', and 'balanced lifestyle'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'overcome from these situations' (should be 'overcome these situations') and 'causes various health issues... in a long term basis' (should be 'on a long-term basis'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited; using more precise synonyms and collocations would help elevate your score to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('eating patterns effects the sleep routine' should be 'affect'), incorrect preposition usage ('overcome from'), and awkward phrasing ('the problems can lack of sleep cause'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement, correct verb forms, and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing auxiliary verbs or prepositions.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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