Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-07

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Using a cell phone while driving is dangerous because it causes the driver to become distracted. Therefore, cell phone use by drivers should be made illegal.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, the phones and especially smart phones are very important for people.

We used phones for many reasons not just for calling like before , so it’s very important device in our daily life.

Firstly, Many people used the phone in the car when they drive , this is very dangerous for their safety.

The most dangerous thing is when they used their smartphone’s and they don’t drive alone for exemple with child , that’s very dangerous.

I have one of my friends had an accident one time , he drives for a long distance going to work . He feel sleepy so he called his girlfriend to make him awake, but he enjoyed their talking and he didn’t see the car behind him , and the bad thing happen .

The car has been damaged and he’s arm was broken with some blood in his body .

He stay in the hospital for 3 days , he is very lucky and he promise me to not do it again .

Secondly, There is many people do the same thing , there many accidents every day , also there many people dead because of the phone.

In my point of view the government should be able to control people who don’t follow the rules , should they punished when they use the phone in the car .

To conclude each on of us has his main responsibility to drive safe without any fault. And the government also has the second responsibility to control people and to take the decisions necessary about them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by expressing a clear position in favor of banning cell phone use while driving. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you provide a personal anecdote about a friend, the argument lacks depth and fails to explore the broader implications of a total ban or alternative perspectives. The conclusion is somewhat repetitive and does not fully synthesize the points made. To improve, ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported argument rather than relying on anecdotal evidence alone. The response covers the task requirements but remains at a basic level of analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and sometimes inaccurate, such as the repetitive use of 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' without sophisticated linking phrases. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where 'there many accidents' lacks a proper subject. The progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed, and the transition between the personal anecdote and the general argument about government responsibility could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear logical flow between sentences would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points but is quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'very important', 'very dangerous', and 'bad thing happen' lack the precision and variety expected at higher bands. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'he enjoyed their talking' instead of 'he enjoyed the conversation' and 'he’s arm' (a grammatical error affecting lexical accuracy). To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to road safety, legislation, and distraction, and focus on using more precise adjectives and verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('There is many people', 'he drives for a long distance'), tense inconsistencies ('he promise me'), and punctuation errors. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors interfere with the flow of the text. To improve, you should practice using a wider range of complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, and pay closer attention to basic verb tenses and pluralization rules to ensure accuracy.

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

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