Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-20
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)
It is often claimed that now a days various health related problems are caused by the increased consumption of extreme levels of sugar present in fast food and drinks . I completely agree on increasing the price of products with most amount of components which are harmful for health. Not only that ,introducing healthy and better alternatives also makes a lot of change.
The imposition of heavy taxes on the manufacturing companies is one of the key steps government should take, which will eventually pushes them to increase the price of every single product in the system in order to maintain the balance sheet to make profit . Once the seller increases the price automatically buyer notices the change and makes to rethinks their decision ,definitely not immediately but eventually over the period of time . As the products gets costly consumer won't be able to buy the same amount of product as is used to be. As an example we all buy less expensive sweets more compared to expensive one , because once the value increases the number of purchase decrease.
Whereas, giving the same consumers a better and healthier alternatives for this products which is causing a serious damage to their health to their saving in the future in the name of hospital bills . We can find a lot of healthy replacements for this dangerous items in our Indian traditional food system ,for example milets like ragi and a many more. This are the food consumed during earlier days for fit and good body .
In conclusion , in order to encourage people to consume less sugar , food and drink products containing high amount of sugar should be made more expensive . Having better alternatives also significantly in increase of health for better life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position in favor of increasing taxes on sugary products. The ideas are relevant, such as the economic impact on consumers and the suggestion of healthier alternatives. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The explanation of how taxes affect company behavior is logical, but the second body paragraph regarding alternatives is less focused and slightly repetitive. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully extended with more specific analysis or examples rather than just mentioning them. The conclusion effectively restates the position, but the overall development of the argument could be more sophisticated to fully explore the implications of the proposed policy.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Not only that, introducing healthy and better alternatives also makes a lot of change.' Additionally, some transitions between sentences are abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'for this products' in the third paragraph. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words would enhance the flow and coherence of the essay.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'imposition of heavy taxes' and 'balance sheet'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'most amount of components' instead of 'highest concentration of ingredients' and 'milets' (spelling error for 'millets'). The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Focusing on more natural collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the fluency of the text. Examples include 'now a days' (should be 'nowadays'), 'pushes them' (should be 'push them' after 'will'), 'As the products gets costly' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'This are the food' (should be 'These are the foods'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with spaces missing before commas and periods. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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