Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-16

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 a controversial issue nowadays. It can affect human health and ought to be banned everywhere. I completely agree with this statement. This essay will explain why I support this perspective.

The primary reason for my opinion is fatal diseases. In other words, having smoke on regular basis causes serious illnesses such as cancer, lungs and respiratory problems and so many which end with human life. For instance, according to the report of World Health Organisation , every year in United States , 36 % youngsters died because of excessive smoking. This shows that to mitigate this problem, government has to make it illegal.

Furthermore, the another key argument is secondhand smokers heath. To elaborate it, nonsmokers face health risks when exposed to toxic smoke in public or shared spaces. In addition, they inhale smoke directly or indirectly which leads health issues like heart disease and stroke. In many countries, where smoking is not illegal in public places, every person suffers these issues. This demonstrates that regime should take legal action to stop it.

In conclusion, I firmly agree that

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 181 words long. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, which remain superficial and under-supported. While you clearly state your position in the introduction, the conclusion is incomplete, trailing off after the first sentence. The arguments regarding health risks and secondhand smoke are relevant, but they lack the depth and elaboration required for a higher band. To improve, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and ensure the essay is fully completed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic logical progression. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore,' 'In addition,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, the cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the abrupt ending of the essay negatively affects the overall flow and structure. The referencing is generally clear, but the lack of a fully developed conclusion makes the overall coherence feel incomplete. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your concluding paragraph summarizes your main points effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'controversial,' 'mitigate,' and 'secondhand smokers.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'having smoke on regular basis' (should be 'smoking on a regular basis') and 'secondhand smokers heath' (should be 'secondhand smoke health risks'). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Focus on learning common collocations and using more academic phrasing to improve your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'every year in United States, 36 % youngsters died' (missing articles and incorrect preposition usage) and 'regime should take legal action' (incorrect word choice for 'government'). Punctuation is also inconsistent in places. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable. To reach a higher band, focus on subject-verb agreement, the correct use of articles, and refining your control over complex sentence structures.

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