Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-14

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 5.5)

There is an ongoing debate regarding many people who complain that they have difficulties getting enough sleep. There are many factors which contribute to lack of sleep nowadays including stress, eating late at night, unhealthy diet and excessive working hours.

The first major factor includes a shift in hormonal balance which disrupts the circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is the normal sleep cycle which is based on a good mental health and balanced diet that is taken on the right time. Secondly, stress contributes significantly to disrupted sleep balance by alteration of the normal physiology. Another important cause is increased work pressure and long working shifts to earn better which results in very little time for sleep.

Lack of sleep can cause serious health issues like mental stress, muscluskeletal discomfort, headaches and poor memory. This issues needs to be addresed on a large scale as increasing changes in lifestyle are significantly affecting sleeping habbits. Dietary pattern and sedentary lifestyle must be discouraged to support healthy sleep cycle. Moreover, the trend to stay awake at night and sleep during the day is increasing in GEN-Z, it is a symbol of being cool but leads to multiple health issues including sleep alterations. For example, multiple studies suggest that altered sleep periods results in baldness, effects fertility and causes mood swings. Although work-life balance is difficult to maintain these days, it is crucial for regular sleeping patterns.

To conclude, sleep is a fundamnetal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt (problems and solutions), but the development is uneven. While you identify causes like stress and work pressure, the explanation of consequences is somewhat list-like. Crucially, the response is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence at 239 words. This failure to meet the minimum word count requirement significantly impacts the task achievement score, as the conclusion is not fully developed, and the overall response lacks the necessary depth to fully explore the issues raised. To improve, ensure you provide a complete, balanced argument and meet the minimum length requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression using transition words like 'The first major factor', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover'. However, the cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the abrupt ending disrupts the overall flow of the argument. The paragraphing is logical, but the lack of a finished conclusion makes the essay feel disjointed. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices to link sentences more naturally and ensure that your ideas are fully connected from the introduction through to a complete, well-structured conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'circadian rhythm', 'physiology', and 'sedentary lifestyle'. However, there are several spelling errors ('muscluskeletal', 'addresed', 'habbits', 'fundamnetal') and some awkward phrasing, such as 'based on a good mental health'. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, the spelling mistakes and occasional imprecise word choices prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading your work to catch spelling errors and try to incorporate more precise collocations to enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'This issues needs to be addresed' (subject-verb agreement) and 'altered sleep periods results in' (subject-verb agreement). Additionally, there are punctuation and capitalization inconsistencies, such as 'GEN-Z'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall accuracy. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and ensure that your complex sentences are constructed accurately. Reviewing basic grammar rules regarding pluralization and verb forms will help you achieve a higher band score.

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

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