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)
Well, we have all seen the advertisement on the cigarette packet, "Smoking is injurious to health". In my opinion it is true! Smoking can lead to several health issues, and it should be illegal. My viewpoint would be further explain in the next paragraphs.
To begin with, as a healthcare worker, I have witnessed hundreds of people coming to the hospital with their loved ones hoping it is nothing. People who smokes are not only causing serious health issues to them but others around them. For instance, 75% of childrens have been diagnosed with Asthma, because they have been in contact with second hand smoking from their loved ones.
To add further, smoking can cause serious health issues, such as, lung cancer, mouth cancer, COPD. This conditions are life threatening and can ruin persons life. Smoking might give some span of relief to humans nervous system but it has life long impact on one's body. In my belief, body is too precious and should not be taken for granted. My moto in life is live healthy, live happy.
In conclusion, Product that is not for our beneficial should not be sold openely, or promoted. Selling this can have negative impact on younger generation, who might not know the risk behind, Thus in my personal opinion, Smoking should be made illegal.
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 taking a clear position that smoking should be illegal. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the argument. While the ideas regarding health risks and second-hand smoke are relevant, they are not fully developed. The conclusion introduces new points about the marketing of cigarettes rather than summarizing the main arguments. To reach a higher band, you must expand on your points with more detailed explanations and ensure the essay meets the minimum length requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward, such as 'To add further' and 'My viewpoint would be further explain'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother. The concluding paragraph introduces new information rather than synthesizing the previous points, which disrupts the logical flow of the argument. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would improve the coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'span of relief' instead of 'momentary relief' and 'not for our beneficial' instead of 'not beneficial to us'. The phrase 'openely' is also misspelled. While you successfully use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'COPD' and 'second hand smoking', the overall range is limited, and the phrasing often feels informal or slightly unnatural.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('People who smokes'), incorrect verb forms ('would be further explain'), and errors with pluralization ('This conditions'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from achieving a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage will significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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