Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-01
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)
Some people say that sugary products should be costly because these products contain major portion of sugar which results most of health problems. I totally disagree with this point of view because people who are addicted to sugar will consume sugar anyway even, it is made expensive and number of people who dont consume sugary products regularly have to pay high prices and if they consumed more sugar they should workout then there would be no health problems related to the calories.
Firstly, making sugary products costly is not the solution to the problem. Even if the sugar products are made expensive then the people who are addicted to the sugar and when they consume sugar and their dopamine spikes, they will consume sugar anyway.Eventually it would be expensive for one's who are not consuming it regularly and problem would never be solved. For instance, people who workout regularly do eat sugary products on their cheat days but they do balance out these products in their diet by maintaining and calculating the calories.
Secondly, the main reason I disagree with this point of view is that the sugary products are not solely cause of their health problem. Having sugar is not bad for health but excessive sugar can cause health problems. further, those people dont workout to balance out their diet as well which is another cause of having health related problems. For example, a healthy person who regularly work out and do fitness exercise can eat su
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against the tax. However, the essay is incomplete, ending abruptly mid-sentence, which prevents a full development of the argument. Furthermore, the response falls just short of the 250-word minimum requirement. While the ideas regarding addiction and personal responsibility are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive and lack the depth required for a higher band. To improve, ensure you fully develop your points with more varied examples and complete your conclusion to provide a sense of closure. The failure to meet the word count and the unfinished nature of the text significantly impact the overall task achievement score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'Firstly' and 'Secondly'. There are also issues with referencing; for example, 'one's who are not consuming it' is grammatically awkward and hinders flow. The abrupt ending of the essay means there is no concluding paragraph, which disrupts the overall coherence of the piece. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, finished structure that connects logically to the next.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. There is a reliance on basic terms like 'costly', 'bad', and 'problem'. Some collocations are unnatural, such as 'major portion of sugar' instead of 'high sugar content'. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'one's who' instead of 'those who'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to health, economics, and nutrition, and focus on using words in their correct collocations to convey your meaning more precisely.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'results most of health problems' (missing 'in'), 'the sugary products are not solely cause of their health problem' (missing articles), and 'those people dont workout' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing after commas and periods. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and proofreading for basic punctuation will help improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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