Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-04

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 true that a lot of manufactured foods and drinks contain very high levels of sugar in them which would definitely cause health problems in individuals. The most common problems the world is facing today are obesity and diabetes which is ultimately caused by consuming products with high sugars.

There is a school of thought that says that the products containing high sugar levels should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar. Some people think this is a great idea to increase prices, other disagree with the thinking. The group agreeing to this says that the health of people is most important and this measure would help a lot encouraging people to consume less sugar and live a healthy lifestyle.

But on the other hand there are people who think increasing the price of sugar containing products might make people to consume less sugar but it is like a double edged sword. We have to look at the other side of the coin which is that increasing the prices would put a huge impact on our lives. This impact might not be on health but it would definitely effect our lives like if the products are made expensive it would make the sugar industries to crash . Sugar and sugar containing products play a huge part in the economy and making the prices high can hit the economy really badly.

In conclusion and talking about myself, I think that it is really not a great idea to increase the price of sugar products rather the sugar in the food and drinks should be regulated by the government

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the pros and cons of taxing sugary products. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you identify the health benefits and economic drawbacks, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, you mention the 'sugar industry' crashing but do not explain how or why this would happen in a convincing way. Your position is clear in the conclusion, but it would be stronger if it were stated in the introduction and maintained consistently throughout the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure each main idea is supported by a concrete example or a more detailed explanation of the consequences.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your train of thought. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'on the other hand' and 'in conclusion', to transition between ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing could be improved. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is a bit abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that directly relates to your overall position.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some relevant topic-specific terms like 'obesity', 'diabetes', and 'economy'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of repetitive phrasing, such as 'consume less sugar' and 'sugar containing products'. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations. For example, instead of repeating 'make the prices high', you could use 'implement a sugar tax' or 'increase the financial burden on consumers'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'other disagree with the thinking' (should be 'others') and 'it would definitely effect our lives' (should be 'affect'). Additionally, some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'make the sugar industries to crash'. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of verbs following 'make' or 'encourage'. Increasing your control over complex sentence structures will help you move into a higher band.

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

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