Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-13

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)

Smoking is actually bad for human health and that fact can't be denied. I too don't like when people near me smoke and would rather stay far when they do. I too once wished that it be better if World Health Organization (WHO) and world governments would agree to ban on manufacture of Cigars and similar products to ensure a better and health environment. However, there are other aspects to considered that the people who are already use to it will be effected due to reasons discussed further.

According to the data i saw in chatgpt it showed that the sales of cigars and related are dropping at a steady rate due to better education, but vapes have replaced it after Gen-z or at least around that era it started changing. This raises more concern as when a type of smoke is made to loose it's sales due to serious illness and various other factors that are affecting families that are lower or middle class financially as well, has now been just replaced to a newer category that is more dangerous that classic cigars. Also, generations before gen-z have been used to it as in daily life for stress relief. If we suddenly issue ban that will affect in their daily life while the concern remains that they might just be replaced with even worst products.

Overall, i think we should try and educate children so that maybe in future like few decades it is possible to reduce the amount of people smoking or might be able to entirely stop.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt but lacks a clear, consistent position. While you acknowledge the health risks, your argument regarding whether it should be illegal is underdeveloped and somewhat contradictory. You mention that a ban might be ineffective or harmful to current users, but this point is not fully explored or supported with strong reasoning. The conclusion is vague, suggesting education as a long-term solution rather than directly answering the 'to what extent' aspect of the prompt. To improve, ensure you take a firm stance in the introduction and provide distinct, well-supported arguments in each body paragraph that directly relate to your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow of ideas is often disjointed. Transitions between sentences are sometimes missing or mechanical, such as the abrupt shift from discussing WHO to the 'data i saw in chatgpt'. The use of cohesive devices is limited, making the progression of ideas feel repetitive. For example, the transition between the impact on current smokers and the potential for replacement products is not clearly linked. To improve, use a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'on the other hand') to guide the reader through your argument more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several informal expressions and inaccuracies, such as 'use to it' instead of 'used to it', 'loose it's sales' instead of 'lose its sales', and 'even worst' instead of 'even worse'. The reliance on simple, repetitive language limits your ability to express complex ideas effectively. To improve, focus on learning collocations and more academic vocabulary related to health and public policy, and pay closer attention to word forms and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'aspects to considered'), incorrect verb tenses, and punctuation errors. For instance, 'I too once wished that it be better' is grammatically awkward. Additionally, there are errors with articles and possessives, such as 'a better and health environment'. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring that verbs are correctly conjugated and that complex sentences are punctuated accurately to avoid run-on structures.

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

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