Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-21

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 5.0)

point of view: Making smoking illegal in public places.

point 1: Making smoking illegal in public places will preven environmental hazard e.g there are people with health challenges that can't withstand smoke, people like Asthma patient

when smoking becomes illegal in public places it will reduce the risk of attack for people with challenges

point 2: it will reduces of Abuse, Abuse like In children, in some women.

most smokers are not mentally ok, after smoking some started misbehaving

point 3: it reduces public violence

After smoking some started misbehaving, destroying things that are meant for public benefit, looking for whom to engage in fight with which can result to killing of one and other.

point of view: Others says that this is not enough that other measures are needed

point 1: there should be a law against smoking

point 2: other measures are needed with keep life saves. There are many risk accompaning smoking as it can leads to kidney problem, lung problem and different health issues

point 3: Others measures are needed so as to prevent sexual harrasment form smokers. After smoking, smokers starts misbehaving which can lead to different abnormal behaviour

point 4: There should be an advocate against smoking and law against it and also punishment for whosoever go against the law

point 5: others measure are needed so that it can reduce the mortality rate in a country

point 6: Other measures are needed so that it won't influence the young growing in the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response attempts to discuss both views on smoking in public places, but the structure is formatted more like raw note-taking rather than a cohesive essay. The student presents points under designated headings such as 'point of view' and 'point 1', but the development of ideas is limited and repetitive, particularly regarding the behavioral changes of smokers. While the prompt asks for a discussion of both views and an opinion, the student's stance is fragmented across multiple listed points rather than integrated into a clear, unified position. Certain claims, such as smoking leading directly to sexual harassment, are not well-supported or fully relevant to standard public smoking arguments. Therefore, the task is addressed only partially, warranting a band score of 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The text lacks standard essay paragraphing and relies heavily on bullet-like lists ('point 1', 'point 2', etc.) rather than flowing prose. There is no clear overall progression from an introduction through body paragraphs to a conclusion. Cohesive devices are largely absent or misused, and referencing is frequently unclear. For example, expressions like 'After smoking some started misbehaving' lack clear antecedent references. The overall organization is disjointed and resembles a rough brainstorming outline rather than a structured response. This falls squarely under the descriptors for band 4.5 to 5.0, leading to a score of 4.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, with frequent word-choice and collocation errors. Examples include 'preven environmental hazard', 'Asthma patient', 'reduces of Abuse', and 'whosoever go against the law'. The student attempts some less common terms like 'mortality rate' and 'environmental hazard', but inaccurate morphological forms ('harrasment', 'preven') and awkward phrasing restrict the range. Vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey basic concepts, but frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader. This performance aligns with band 5.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The submission displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting mainly of simple sentences and faulty attempts at complex forms. There are numerous grammatical errors throughout, including subject-verb agreement issues ('people... that can't withstand', 'Others says'), missing articles, and incorrect tense usage ('smokers starts', 'can leads to'). Punctuation is also weak, with run-on phrasing and improper capitalization. These frequent errors disrupt the flow and occasionally obscure the intended meaning, matching the criteria for band 4.5.

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

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