Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-21

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)

Some people believe that best method for to decline the smoking to make smoking illegal in public while other believe that it is not enough and other preventive measures should be taken.

On the one hand, In public areas such as college, university, school where smoking , cigarette or any drug is prohibited.

There is written in big words so that people does not smoke or any illegal substance should consumed there.

Another thing is in public transports such as buses, trains also publish about not to do smoking here.

Furthermore, In restaurants alsosmoking should be prohibited.

On the other hand, we can also use so many preventive measures such as a person who is smoking , we should also consul him, tell him the side effects of smoking on his or health. tell him about various organs can affect for instance, lungs, heart, kidneys,gall bladder.

Furthermore, a society should organize campaigns, workshops where we can tell the drawbacks and dangerous impact on our health because it is a life threatning.

In other words, government and many big companies should work together and take action against them. because they are financially stable and should provide funds to community members for campaigns or workshops.

In schools, teachers should educate to students about drugs or any illegal substance.

In conclusion, I believe that government, big companies and individual should work together. In this way we can low the usage of such substances. we can also educate them and can take other preventive measures.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention public places and preventive measures, the arguments lack depth and specific supporting evidence. For instance, the discussion on public transport is fragmented, and the suggestion to 'consul' (counsel) smokers is a good point but could be expanded with more detail on how such programs function. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main idea is fully developed with clear explanations and concrete examples that directly support your position, rather than listing several points briefly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'Another thing is' and 'In other words' are used in ways that do not always effectively link the preceding and following ideas. Furthermore, some sentences are disjointed, such as the list of organs, which lacks a smooth transition from the previous clause. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choice, such as 'decline the smoking' instead of 'reduce smoking' and 'publish about not to do smoking' instead of 'display signs prohibiting smoking'. Additionally, there are some spelling and word-formation errors like 'life threatning' and 'consul' (counsel). To improve, focus on learning collocations—words that naturally go together—and try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to public policy and health education.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('people does not smoke'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing ('educate to students'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors interfere with the fluency of the text. To progress, you should practice using a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses or conditional sentences, and pay closer attention to basic grammar rules like pluralisation and verb forms.

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

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