Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-12
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 5.5)
In the modern era, Smoking is becoming a new trend for the youth, but it causes health-related problems. Some people believe that it plays a negative role in our bodies, so the government should ban it. There are lots of drawbacks to smoking, which are discussed further.
Firstly, smoking causes heart-related problems, mouth cancers, and so on. According to the World Health Organization, most cancer patient’s are having the smoking habits. Once you have started smoking, it will start affecting your body slowly, and after a few years it will create health issues. To decrease it, some countries have started to print a message on smoking packets, such as Smoking causes cancer.
In addition to this, some countries have already made it illegal in public places. For example, in Canada, smoking is banned at bus stations and airports, while they have made zones for smoking at these places. Furthermore, some countries are starting to do advertising on movie hoardings that it causes this number of people's lives, so that it will spread awareness among their citizens and it will decrease the number of its.
In conclusion, Smoking is having negative impact of peoples lift, and it is decreasing their life expectancy. In my View, it should be banned all over the world so that it will improve people's health.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the health risks of smoking and the potential for a government ban. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the argument. While a position is clear, the ideas are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the mention of 'advertising on movie hoardings' is vague and lacks a clear connection to the argument for a total ban. To reach a higher band, you must expand your supporting points with more detailed explanations and specific examples to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive discussion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'In addition to this', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'it will decrease the number of its', where the pronoun 'its' lacks a clear antecedent. Paragraphing is present, but the overall flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking phrases to connect sentences more naturally rather than relying on simple transitions.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'Smoking is becoming a new trend' and 'negative impact of peoples lift' (likely a typo for 'lives'). The use of 'hoardings' is slightly informal or contextually imprecise in this argument. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that word forms are used correctly. Expanding your vocabulary related to public policy and health would also be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'most cancer patient’s are having the smoking habits' (incorrect pluralization and tense usage) and 'it will decrease the number of its' (grammatical error). Punctuation is generally functional, but the control over complex structures is inconsistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that verb tenses are used consistently throughout the essay.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.