Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-07

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)

Though many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar ,which I agree is a factor in many health problems we face today. I however don't agree with the idea of making sugary products more expensive to encourage less comsumption of it. I dont believe increasing prices will stop the consumption of sugary products because even if it is expensive ,it is still accessible to those who would be able to still afford it. It won't stop the consumption of it, increasing the price would also be unfear for the less fortunate as well. It could make people try to purchase it less but they can still find a way to purchase if they really wanted to.

There are other foods that are unhealthy and so that would mean increasing prices would be the solution for every food, I don't think it should be because that only creates a new problem. High cost to food in general will cause complains with cost of living rather than allow people to stop in general. For example I loved a specific pepper shrimp that i ate all the time, the price increased but my love for it did not change so I still found myself purchasing it anyway. So I say that to say, making more fiod and drinks more expensive will have its impact and could affect a few people and whether they stopped comsuming but nit everyone. Also they could find ways to go around the price especially if there's other places selling it cheaper or of good price.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you disagree with making sugary products more expensive, and you give relevant reasons, including affordability, the cost of living, and your pepper-shrimp example. However, the response addresses the issue only partially because the reasons are asserted more than explained, and the example does not directly concern sugary food or health. You also briefly suggest that price rises might reduce consumption for some people, but do not weigh this against your main argument. The response is 248 words, below the 250-word minimum; the 12 words copied from the prompt are not counted. To strengthen the response, develop each reason with a clearer explanation and a more directly relevant example, and state what alternative would better reduce sugar consumption.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic paragraph structure: the first paragraph states your position and discusses affordability, while the second adds the cost-of-living argument and an example. This gives the reader some organisation. However, progression within the paragraphs is not always clear, and several ideas repeat rather than build—for example, that people can still afford or find ways to buy the products. Linking phrases such as “So I say that to say” are awkward, and references such as “it” and “they” can be unclear. Improve cohesion by giving each paragraph one distinct main point, arranging explanation before example, and using precise references and simpler transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate your main view, including “cost of living,” “less fortunate,” and “purchase.” However, the range is limited and some wording is repetitive, particularly repeated references to “expensive,” “purchase,” and “consumption.” Several spelling errors—such as “comsumption,” “unfear,” “fiod,” and “nit”—are noticeable and can distract the reader. Some phrases are also imprecise or unnatural, including “stop the consumption of it” and “of good price.” Aim for more accurate spelling and a wider set of topic-specific expressions, such as “reduce sugar intake,” “price increase,” and “lower-cost alternatives,” while avoiding repetition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences using clauses and contrast, as in “because even if it is expensive, it is still accessible,” but the range of sentence structures remains limited and complex attempts are often faulty. The opening is a fragment: “Though many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar…” has no complete main clause. Other problems include the run-on construction “It won't stop the consumption of it, increasing the price would also be unfair,” and inconsistent punctuation and capitalisation, such as “i” and missing apostrophes in “dont.” These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas harder to follow. Practise complete sentences, accurate clause joining, and consistent punctuation.

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