Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-13

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Sugar is not healthy. Many manufactured food and drink products contain high level of sugar, which causes many health problem. I partly agree that makign sugary products more expensive can encourage people to consume less sugar.But to bring a noticeable result, these sugary products should be less available and alternative sugar free product should be introduced.

One of the main reasons of why people consume these sugary products frequently is that they are affordable and convenient. Compared with the sugar free products, sugary prodects are cheaper and easier to access. If their price was high, people would search for alternative sugar free products. So increasing price of these products might discourage people to consume these products. Government can add more VAT on sugary products to reduce its sale and more tax should be imposed on the companies which produce this type of products.

However, only increasing price is not sufficient. Sugary product should be less available. Alternative sugar free products should be introduced in affordable price because people always prefer the products which are less expensive. So this cheap sugar free products will motivate them to avoid harmful sugary products. Additionally, public awarness should be

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a relevant, partly agreeing position and address both the proposed price increase and additional measures, such as limiting availability and offering affordable sugar-free alternatives. The explanation that higher prices may lead consumers to seek alternatives is pertinent, but it is brief and would benefit from a specific example or fuller reasoning. The final point about public awareness is unfinished, and the response does not develop the consequences or practical limits of the proposed measures. The response is 187 words, below the required 250 words; the eight words copied from the prompt are not counted. To strengthen the answer, complete the public-awareness idea, support each main point with an example, and explain more fully why price increases alone may not work.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph explaining why higher prices could reduce consumption, and a paragraph arguing that price changes should be accompanied by other measures. Linking expressions such as “However” and “Additionally” help signal the relationship between ideas. However, progression is limited because several points are asserted without being connected through explanation, and the final sentence stops before the public-awareness idea is completed. Repetition of “sugary products” and “sugar free products” also makes the cohesion feel mechanical. Develop each paragraph around one clear point, use pronouns or precise references where appropriate, and finish with a conclusion that restates your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “affordable,” “convenient,” “alternative,” “imposed,” and “discourage,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There is some repetition of basic terms such as “products,” “sugar,” and “people,” which limits the range and precision of expression. Several spelling and word-form errors are noticeable, including “makign,” “prodects,” and “awarness”; these reduce accuracy and polish. Some phrases are also awkward, such as “reduce its sale” and “introduced in affordable price.” Build a wider set of topic-specific expressions and check spelling and collocations carefully. More precise wording would help distinguish price measures, consumer behaviour, and public-health education.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including the conditional “If their price was high, people would search for alternative…” and the contrast introduced by “However.” These structures help express cause and contrast, and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, errors in agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence completion occur: “high level of sugar” and “many health problem” need plural forms, while “this cheap sugar free products” has a mismatch between the determiner and noun. The opening paragraph also runs “sugar.But” together, and the final sentence is incomplete. Proofread for agreement and articles, and ensure every sentence has a complete main clause.

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