Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-25

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)

Nowadays, People are facing difficulties in getting good or enough sleep. There could be many reasons affecting this . I will try to discuss some problems regarding this difficulty from my own knowledge and I will share some examples from my experience.

Having not enough sleep could lead to abundance of health issues, mental illness and way more. However, Doctors also suggests to take atleast eight hours of sleep. I have read some articles which says, If we are taking less than six hours of sleep it could even lead to cancer as well. I believe people are more stressed in these days. They are overthinking of small things which are affecting their sleeps.

Furthermore, from my perspective, Most of the people have same kind of anxiety and stress which is about career, money and love. Most of them are running after these things and facing problems in their life. For instance, I myself was in depression one year ago. I was also only focusing on working , even I was doing night shifts and just sleeping for three or four hours. I didn’t care at that time. I was facing issues with my weight loss and so many other illnesses. Later, I realized taking stress is not going to change anything. Whatever is planned is going to happen.

In the nutshell, I would like to say complaining about not getting good sleep is not going to change anything. We need to overcome our stressful, depressive and anxious things. If we will be able to handle these three things, Sleep will be good by itself.

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 is somewhat superficial. While you mention health issues and stress, the ideas are not fully extended or supported with sufficient depth. For instance, the link between sleep deprivation and cancer is mentioned but not explained in a way that demonstrates a clear understanding of the topic. To improve, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and perhaps a broader range of solutions beyond just 'handling stress,' such as lifestyle changes or professional medical intervention, to better meet the requirements of a Band 6 or 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, 'In the nutshell' is an incorrect idiom; 'In a nutshell' would be correct. Transitions like 'Furthermore' and 'However' are used, but the logical flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where 'these three things' refers back to a list that was not explicitly defined in that way. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help your ideas flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good,' 'bad,' and 'things' frequently. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'abundance of health issues' (a 'multitude' or 'range' would be more natural) and 'doing night shifts' (which is acceptable but could be more formal). To reach a higher band, focus on using more specific academic vocabulary and collocations related to health and lifestyle, and avoid repetitive, vague language.

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 distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Doctors also suggests'), article usage (e.g., 'taking stress'), and punctuation errors. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'I was also only focusing on working , even I was doing night shifts.' While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately.

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

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