Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11

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)

Nowadays an increasing number of individuals complain that it is quite challenging getting enough sleep. This is believed to be as a result of working tirelessly and fatigue. Individuals to learn to organise their schedule and do not over work themselves.

People tends not get enough sleep especially when they work tirelessly. This is because some organisations tend to overwork their employees and make them stay overtime even though it is not in their job description. For example, a media agency often ask their interns or junior colleagues to work more than the working hours which makes have insufficient sleep.

Individuals who are exhausted from their daily work can also cause lack of sleep. This is because fatigue can lead to physical and mental exhaustion. In addition, it increases the rate at which dopamine is inhibited. For instance, when the body is stressed from a lot of activities and thoughts, it could reduce sleeping and make the individuals active.

Lack of sleep can be minimized if the individual learn to organise their schedule. This can be done by creating a time-table that does not interfere with their daily routine and sleep. It will enable the individual perform better in their place of work. To illustrate, a company called Lafarage made sure that everyone follows the time-table and dismiss work on time in order for them to prepare for work the next day.

Certain policies should be made in order to reduce overworking in an industry. This is because overworking

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the problems caused by lack of sleep and potential solutions. However, the essay is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence in the final paragraph. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, as the conclusion is missing and the final point is left unfinished. Additionally, the essay falls one word short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which necessitates a penalty. While the ideas presented—such as workplace pressure and the need for better scheduling—are relevant, they are not fully extended or supported due to the truncated nature of the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay uses basic paragraphing to separate ideas, and there is a logical progression from the causes of sleep deprivation to the solutions. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'This is because' is used at the start of almost every paragraph). The abrupt ending of the essay disrupts the overall flow and coherence, as there is no concluding summary or final thought to tie the arguments together. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of a finished structure limits the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'dopamine is inhibited' (which is scientifically questionable in this context) and 'make the individuals active' (which is vague). The range of vocabulary is limited to common, everyday terms. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more topic-specific collocations related to health, productivity, and workplace management to demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the 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 impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('People tends not get enough sleep') and awkward phrasing ('Individuals to learn to organise'). There are also missing articles and prepositions throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a lack of control over more complex structures. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for agreement errors would be beneficial.

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

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