Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-15

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)

It is obvious that smoking is spreading all aound the world like a wildfire , young and aged people are becoming victim of it. To tackle this situation , many people have believed to ban it in public places. But other people say , there should be strict rules not to smoke and public awareness saminars to overcome smoking trend in young and aged people.

Firstly, everywhere in the world people are becoming addicted to it and can not get out of its grip. Cigarettes are being selled everywhere without specific rules and regulations , even teenagers have access to it and addopted it as a habit.Due to that they are becoming victim of lungs cancer , heart diseases and many other dreadful health issues. Here government should apply strick rules towards it and put ban not to sell in markets and,make people to obay the orders.

On the flip side, baning it for public is not the only way to overcome this problem. Because big dealers will sell it in black and people will easily access to cigarettes and this trend will not stop.Unfortunality, cigarettes compamies are paying massive taxes to governments , just to run their bussinesses.It will become hard for governments to ban it. But other alternative ways can solve this issue like making people aware about smoling drawbacks how it is killing them.By organising public awareness seminars , people will get to know , how important good health is to live a better life. Local markets should not allowe to sell cigarettes and government and local authorties put warning signs on public placres written with not to smoke.

In conclusion, public awareness plays a fundamental role in growing good communities and especially government should take strick actions towards it .Otherwise people will lose lives and it will not stop in future too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views by discussing restrictions on smoking and arguing that public awareness and other controls are also needed. Your position is clearest in the conclusion, where you emphasise awareness and strict government action. However, the discussion does not fully match the question: the first view is specifically about making smoking illegal in public places, while your first body paragraph shifts mainly to banning cigarette sales and restricting access. The second view is more developed, with points about black-market sales, tax revenue, seminars and warning signs, but these ideas are listed rather than explained or supported with a specific example. Make the contrast between the two views explicit and explain how each proposed measure would discourage smoking.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting different approaches, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “Firstly,” “On the flip side,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow. For example, the first body paragraph moves from addiction to cigarette sales, health effects and a sales ban without clearly connecting these points to the specific issue of smoking in public places. The second paragraph also combines black-market concerns, company taxes, seminars and warning signs, so its central argument becomes diffuse. Use clearer topic sentences and develop one main point at a time; ensure pronouns and references such as “it” and “this issue” have clear antecedents.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “addicted,” “black,” “public awareness,” “health issues” and “fundamental role.” These choices show an effort to discuss causes and possible responses, but the range is limited by repeated general terms such as “people,” “problem” and “ban,” and several inaccurate word choices or spellings make the writing less clear. Examples include “smoling drawbacks,” “dreadful health issues,” and “put warning signs … written with not to smoke.” Some expressions are understandable but not natural in this context, such as “smoking trend” and “run their businesses.” Build accuracy with common collocations for this topic, and proofread spelling carefully; more precise wording will make your arguments easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast introduced by “But” and a reason clause beginning “Because.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “many people have believed to ban it” has an incorrect verb pattern, while “Cigarettes are being selled” uses an incorrect passive form. In “make people to obay the orders,” the verb pattern is also inaccurate, and several sentences run together or use punctuation inconsistently. Practise reliable sentence patterns, especially passive forms, infinitives and clauses expressing cause and contrast. Separating long sentences and checking subject–verb relationships will improve clarity.

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