Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-19

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)

,begin with, there are several reasons why this topic is important in our daily life. The main reason is that [TOPIC] can have a direct effect on people and society. Many people face this issue in their daily lives, and it can influence their lifestyle in different ways. For example, it may affect people’s work, education, health, family life, or relationships. In addition, young people and families can also be influenced by this situation. Another , schools, and families can play an important role by providing guidance, education, and support. For instance, simple rules, useful information, and better awareness can help people make better choices. In this way, many problems can be controlled and people can have a better life. It is also important that everyone should take responsibility and work together to solve this issue.

In conclusion, [TOPIC] is an important issue that should not be ignored. It can affect individuals, families, and society in different ways. If people, families, schools, and the government work together, the negative effects can be reduced and the overall situation can be improved.To begin with, there are several reasons why this topic is important in our daily life. The main reason is that [TOPIC] can have a direct effect on people and society. Many people face this issue in their daily lives, and it can influence their lifestyle in different ways. For example, it may affect people’s work, education, health, or relationships. In addition

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 250 words, standing at 241 words. Furthermore, the student completely fails to address the specific prompt regarding sugary products and whether they should be made more expensive. Instead, the essay relies entirely on template-like, generic phrases with placeholder brackets such as '[TOPIC] can have a direct effect on people and society'. Because the core prompt regarding taxation or pricing of sugary items and the subsequent agreement or disagreement is completely omitted, the response does not address all parts of the task and presents no clear position. According to the task response descriptors, this falls under a band score of 4.0 due to minimal and tangential response to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

Although the essay includes transitional markers such as 'In addition', 'For example', and 'In conclusion', the overall progression is heavily impaired by the repetitive and templated nature of the sentences. The text loops through vague statements about lifestyle, family life, and societal effects without developing a clear, cohesive argument. Paragraphing is attempted with a body paragraph and a concluding paragraph, but the lack of actual content leaves the logical organisation severely compromised. Referencing is also weak because '[TOPIC]' is left as an unresolved placeholder. Based on these organisational and cohesive limitations, a band score of 5.0 is appropriate.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an extremely repetitive and basic vocabulary set throughout the response. Phrases like 'daily life', 'direct effect', 'people and society', and 'important role' are recycled multiple times. There is a lack of less common lexical items, and the presence of unfulfilled template placeholders like '[TOPIC]' severely restricts the range of vocabulary. While basic words are generally spelled correctly, the vocabulary is far too limited to demonstrate flexibility or precision. This aligns with the descriptors for Band 5.0, where the lexical resource is limited and minimally adequate for basic communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing displays a mix of simple and somewhat complex sentence forms, such as 'Another, schools, and families can play an important role by providing guidance...' which contains a noticeable grammatical slip in missing a noun after 'Another'. Other sentences are structurally sound on a basic level, such as 'For example, it may affect people’s work, education, health, or relationships.' However, the frequent reliance on repetitive sentence frames and the incomplete sentence at the very end ('In addition') demonstrate uneven control. Overall, the grammatical range is limited and contains errors that occasionally disrupt the flow, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.

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

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