Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-20

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that the best way to discourage smoking is to make smoking illegal in public places. Other people say that this is not enough and that other measures are needed.

Discuss both these views, and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Smoking is dangerous for health and it evolves lung cancer and subsequent death. In recent years people are using tobacco as a fashion. Some people say that making illegal in the public is the only solution. While others insist on other ways to deal. In my opinion, the adequate way to prevent is the enforcement of a handsome amount of penalty and banned for teenagers.

Body paragraph 1

On the one hand, some people argue for other ways to handle it. According to survey almost, 40% of the World population is drug addicted. This is the responsibility of the Government. First and foremost, the State should impose some strict rules to the Tobacco companies. Furthermore, banned for adults. Moreover, time to time awareness programs conducted such as Tv shows and seminars about the tobacco companies and their consequence.

Body paragraph 2

On the other hand, some people say that making illegal in the public is the best way. However, the consequences of smoking can be deleterious to anyone. For example, like a bus stop on every road same as a smoking area must be there. As a result, the public will be safe from these addicted people's acts. Besides, if anybody breaks the rule, the best way is a penalty. By doing so everyone will follow the laws.

Conclusion

In summary, there is no doubt that tobacco is a silent killer. I believe that the element which is more considerable to reduce the level of addiction is a penalty. In this way, the chances of reduction are more and increase in fear also.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear opinion. However, the development of ideas is limited. For example, the argument regarding '40% of the world population' is unsupported and lacks relevance to the specific topic of smoking. The suggestion to 'ban for adults' is vague and lacks explanation. While the position is clear, the arguments remain somewhat superficial and lack the depth required for a higher band. The response would benefit from more detailed explanations and concrete examples to support the claims made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. The use of cohesive devices is sometimes awkward, such as 'For example, like a bus stop on every road same as a smoking area must be there,' which is difficult to follow. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between the two viewpoints could be smoother. While there is an overall logical structure, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive nature of some sentences hinder the progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choice, such as 'evolves lung cancer' instead of 'causes' or 'leads to', and 'handsome amount of penalty' which is not a standard collocation. The phrase 'drug addicted' is used incorrectly in this context. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'deleterious' and 'consequence', the overall range is limited, and errors in word choice occasionally affect the clarity of the message.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'making illegal in the public' (missing noun), 'banned for teenagers' (incorrect verb form), and 'time to time awareness programs conducted' (missing auxiliary verb). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the lack of complex sentence structures and the frequency of basic grammatical errors prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to subject-verb agreement and sentence construction is needed.

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