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)

With the increasing demand of food, the increasing number of people who likes to have sugary food raises concern for their health. To cope with this situation, some individuals think that to increase the prices of sugary products, might be helpful solution. However, I strongly disagree with this view and this essay will give the reasons for perspective.

To begin with, increase in prices could not be helpful in this case. Because, people with the disposable amount will never think about the prices to satisfy their cravings towards sweet foods and drinks. Moreover, the individuals from middle class and lower middle class will go to find more affordable alternatives. which could be threatening for their health. In many cases of food inspections, the cheaper alternatives are more likely to found the adulteration.

On the other hand, government can focus on better alternatives such as spreading awareness about health consciousness and physical fitness through different mediums like social media, newspapers and awareness campaigns. For instance, Patanjali in India is the best example to spread awareness about the natural products benefits. Also, they used different celebrities who are fitness freaks and connected to the nature to spread awareness. Furthermore, authority can also introduce strict laws or guidelines on the usage of maximum sugar level. which also could be the better alternate option to reduce the consumption of sugary products.

In conclusion, as the alternate options to encourage people to reduce consumption of sugar are more beneficial. That is why, I do not think that making sugary product expensive is a good option.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a disagreement with the proposed tax on sugary products. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant, such as the argument that price increases might drive consumers toward cheaper, potentially more adulterated alternatives. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. While the example of Patanjali is specific, the explanation of how government regulation would function is brief. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' of your arguments with more detailed analysis or hypothetical scenarios to fully flesh out the implications of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with,' 'Moreover,' and 'On the other hand,' which help guide the reader. However, there are instances where the flow is interrupted by sentence fragments or awkward punctuation, such as starting a sentence with 'Because' or placing a period before a clause that should be connected to the previous sentence. Improving the transition between sentences and ensuring that cohesive devices are used to link ideas more fluidly rather than just acting as signposts would improve the score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your opinion clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'adulteration,' 'health consciousness,' and 'disposable amount.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'fitness freaks' (which is informal) and 'connected to the nature' (should be 'connected to nature'). The range is sufficient to communicate your meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Incorporating more academic collocations and avoiding informal phrasing would enhance your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. For example, 'the increasing number of people who likes' should be 'like' (subject-verb agreement), and 'are more likely to found the adulteration' should be 'are more likely to contain adulteration.' Additionally, there are several sentence fragments, such as 'Because, people with the disposable amount...' and 'which could be threatening for their health.' These punctuation and structural errors are noticeable. Focusing on sentence boundaries and subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.