Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-31
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 5.0)
Sugar products are the main cause of health issues. Some individuals believe that increase the rate of sugar products may reduce there uses. I agree upto some extant with this notion with explaining the reasons with logical conclusion.
To commence with , there are some benefits of increasing the cost of sugar products. Firstly, decrease the utilization of products. To explain more, people who earn limited and can spend same amount on grocery will get less products on that price. This leads to decrease the use of sugar and helps to improve the health. Secondly, this reduce the consumption of sugar products in function. For example, at the time of birthday party or marriage celebration people try to use alternates to sweet products. Which indirectly improve the health.
However, this has various drawbacks . The prime one is bad impact on economy. To elaborate, the rises cost may impact on the import and export system of the nation. This will show bad impact on economic rates. Additionally, some people buy extra products for the fear of rise again . This not only rise the sales but increase the utilization. For example, according to today
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address the prompt by discussing both the benefits and drawbacks of taxing sugary products, the arguments are underdeveloped and lack sufficient depth. The conclusion is missing, and the final sentence is incomplete, which prevents a clear, sustained position. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detailed explanations and concrete examples, ensuring the essay is fully developed and reaches the required length.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay uses basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly' and 'However' to organize ideas, which provides a degree of structure. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete nature of the text. Paragraphing is present, but the logical flow is interrupted by the abrupt ending. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'this reduce the consumption', where the subject-verb agreement and reference are weak. To improve, focus on using a wider range of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, fully developed topic sentence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'sugar products' and 'improve the health'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, for example, 'increase the rate of sugar products' should be 'increase the price of sugary products'. The vocabulary is somewhat limited, and there is little attempt to use less common or more sophisticated lexical items. Expanding your vocabulary related to economics and health would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There is a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. Frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'increase the rate' instead of 'increasing the price', 'there uses' instead of 'their use', and 'upto some extant' instead of 'to some extent', impede the reader's understanding at times. Subject-verb agreement is also problematic throughout the text. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct verb forms, and proofreading for common errors like article usage and pluralization.
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.