Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10

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)

Nowadays, each manufactured food and drink products contains high level of sugar , so it is believed that making the sugary product more expensive would help to decline it's consumption . I disagree with the statement as it would create financially unfairness in the society.

Each and every product manufactured contains high level of sugar which is the roots of many health problems, instead of making it more expensive we human should understand its circumstances and consume it according to it. Sugary products is not involve to eat in regular basis but is important in certain occasion so if we increase its prince it will be unfairness for the low class people as they would not be able to buy it.

Instead of making it more expensive we could try other alternative like government and schools should organize programs and workshops in order to spread information and awareness to the society. They can also have control on the manufacturer by restricting them to use high level of sugar in food and drink in manufacturing.

Increase in the price of the sugary products can control its consumption but it can have a large impact when viewed through global side, it would create unfairness on major part of the society.

In conclusion, I disagree that making sugary product more expensive can encourage people to consume less sugar. Instead, government should focus on educating the public and providing clear nutritional information as these approach can put healthier choice rather than pressuring the society financially.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a disagreement with the proposed tax. The position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that a tax would be 'financially unfair' to low-income groups, this point is not fully extended with specific examples or deeper analysis. The alternative suggestions, such as government education and manufacturing restrictions, are relevant but could be more thoroughly explored to reach a higher band. The essay remains focused on the topic, but the arguments lack the depth and nuance required for a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central idea. There is a basic progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For instance, the transition 'Instead of making it more expensive' is used twice in a similar way. Additionally, some sentences feel disconnected due to awkward phrasing, such as 'Sugary products is not involve to eat in regular basis'. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the flow between sentences could be improved with a wider variety of linking words and better referencing to ensure smoother transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. You use basic terms like 'high level of sugar' and 'unfairness' repeatedly. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'it's consumption' (should be 'its'), 'prince' (should be 'price'), and 'not involve to eat' (should be 'not intended for regular consumption'). These errors occasionally hinder the clarity of your message. To improve, you should aim to use more academic collocations and ensure that your word forms are accurate in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('each manufactured food... products contains'), incorrect article usage, and awkward sentence construction ('it would create financially unfairness'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with correct grammatical links.

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

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