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)

A lot of industrial consuming products include very high level of sugar that can lead to health issues. A group of people believe that if the company rise the price of this sugary products then the consumer will not buy those products that will lead to low sugar consumption. I completely agree to this point . My opinion is elaborated below with reasons and examples.

One major reason for increasing value of this sugary products is changes in consumer preference. This is because if the price rise then the demand for products will decreased. such as cold drink, chocolates, sweets or other sugary products are sell at higher price people will switch their taste and preferences which will be helpful to stop people from consuming sugar. For example if a boy drink one cold drink everyday but suddenly the price of that product increased he needs to switch the product.

Another benefit is health problem will decreased if the price will increased. This means that if people will not be able to buy product due to its cost, sugar consumption will reduced this lead to health benefit. The percentage of health disease such as diabetes, tooth Declay, increase in body sugar level will reduced. This is also helpful for government as they will increased the tax and generate more revenue. Which can be useful for healthcare services and to organized campaign to create awareness for balance diet.

In conclusion, I strongly agreed that the sugary foods and drinks should be made more expensive. Although this will lead to change in consumer preference and decreased in the number of health problem along with that increased in revenue due to government tax.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating an agreement with the proposal to increase taxes on sugary products. The main ideas—consumer behavior changes and health benefits—are relevant. However, the development is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the example of a boy switching drinks is simplistic and does not fully illustrate the broader economic or social impact. While the position is consistent throughout, the arguments could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band. The conclusion summarizes the points well, but the overall development remains at a basic level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One major reason', 'Another benefit', and 'In conclusion', which help the reader follow the argument. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'this will lead to change in consumer preference', where the antecedent is slightly vague. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the flow between sentences could be improved with more varied transition signals to avoid a choppy feel.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choices, such as 'industrial consuming products' instead of 'processed food products', and 'tooth Declay' (spelling error). The student relies on basic vocabulary like 'good', 'bad', or 'increase/decrease' repeatedly. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated collocations and the presence of errors in word formation prevent a higher score in this criterion.

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 affect the fluency of the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'the demand for products will decreased'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'if the price will increased'), and missing articles. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the essay. To improve, the student should focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring consistent verb forms in conditional sentences.

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

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