Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-11

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)

Recently, several people are facing problem with their sleeping pattern, as they do not get enough of it. In this essay, I am going to discuss about the reasons and the possible solutions to overcome lack of sleep.

To initiate, sleep is linked with the several different habits and patterns of your daily routine and emotions. Nowadays, processed food has became a new trend and people are consuming such unhealthy food on daily basis. Another problem is not doing any physical work and getting comfortably all the work done from the bedroom. Not even going to the gym or any physical exercise during a day. Furthermore, extreme emotions can also be a reason for many to not able to sleep at night, some are anger and stress.

However, working on your diet can be a starting point to solve lack of sleep. Studies has found that starting a daily meditation of 10 minutes also helps getting relaxed and sleep better. Also, walking for 25 to 30 minutes in the morning is beneficial for many. Working on your screen time is also important as one can make a habit of not using cell phones or any other devices before going to the bed. Meanwhile, control your sugar and cholestrol also helps your emotions.

To conclude, people should work on different areas where they are lacking by understanding their daily routine and emotions. This can be very personal and specific for everyone. And by working on those areas, you will achieve a good sleep and get rid of the insomnia.

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 analysis is somewhat superficial. While you mention processed food, lack of exercise, and stress as causes, you do not explicitly detail the specific 'problems' (consequences) that lack of sleep causes, such as health issues or cognitive decline, which was a key part of the prompt. The solutions are practical, but the development of ideas lacks depth. To improve, ensure you explicitly answer every part of the question with clear, supported examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression from the introduction to the body and conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To initiate,' 'However,' and 'To conclude' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear. For example, the transition between discussing diet and meditation could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be strengthened by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks precision. You use basic terms like 'problems,' 'habits,' and 'work.' There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'getting comfortably all the work done' and 'control your sugar and cholestrol also helps.' To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and collocations related to health and lifestyle, such as 'sedentary lifestyle,' 'sleep deprivation,' or 'mitigate the effects.'

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally affect clarity. Examples include 'processed food has became' (should be 'become'), 'Studies has found' (should be 'have'), and 'not able to sleep' (should be 'unable to sleep'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that hinder the flow. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of verb tenses. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while ensuring accuracy will help raise your score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.