Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-07
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Smoking can cause serious illnesses and should be made illegal.
To what extent do you agree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Smoking is the main cause of illness and this should not be legal in any country as it harms a lot. I completely disagree with this of making it illegal
smoking is the main cause of why people are suffering so much. this is most common among middle class people. Firstly, they think it is a stress reliever for them, but when they have a habit of this, they struggle the most to quit it. You can easily see two to three people smoking near you which makes you uncomfortable or unbreathable.
why it should make illegal? i belive it cause serious illness like mouth cancer lung cancer and many more othe illness it is dangeress for them also for their family. Why should we make it illegal? we should ask same question to our government that they are allowing people to smoke in public. in india we can see lots of adds on tv related to this issue they show how one people smoke and effect upcoming generations sometime they cannot even breath once in this world or they have some serious problems in their body for example bones and brain developments, cancer and many more
In conclusion, I believe we should not make smoking legal or illegal, as it is harmful. We should ask the government to ban it completely or fine people who smoke near you, and whenever you complain against it, the government should take suitable actions to make the air breathable and families enjoy their free time with their family rather than visiting hospitals more.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt but struggles with consistency. You state you 'completely disagree' with making smoking illegal in the first paragraph, yet the conclusion suggests the government should 'ban it completely.' This contradiction makes your position unclear. While you provide some reasons for the harm caused by smoking, the development is limited. The arguments regarding the government's role and the impact on future generations are somewhat repetitive and lack a clear, logical structure. To improve, ensure your stance is consistent from the introduction to the conclusion and provide more focused, well-supported arguments for each point.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, but the internal flow is often disjointed. Transitions between ideas are weak or missing, such as the abrupt shift from discussing stress relief to the impact on others. The use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes repetitive (e.g., 'why it should make illegal?'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of your argument. To improve, use a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in contrast') to connect your sentences and ideas more effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
Your vocabulary is generally basic and repetitive, which limits your ability to express complex ideas. You rely on simple terms like 'harmful' and 'serious illness' throughout the text. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'unbreathable' (instead of 'polluted' or 'suffocating') and 'one people smoke' (instead of 'individuals smoking'). While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of variety and precision prevents a higher score. Try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to public health and policy to enhance your writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'it cause serious illness'), missing articles, and incorrect sentence construction (e.g., 'why it should make illegal?'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with many sentences lacking proper capitalization or ending punctuation. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence patterns and proofreading for common errors like verb tense consistency and article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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