Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-24

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 and the causes of smoking are one of the most controversial and diplomatic conversation since decades.

How can one make a decision on the limited information that is reflected on the box "Smoking is Injurious to Health" which according the medical science is true and should be banned.

I compeletly agree with this and the explanation of my point of view is reflected below.

To begin with the illnesses that might lead by smoking are not just injurious they are deadly, for instance, Cancer, Medical science proved that smoking causes cancer but on the flip side of it the people who smoke them also consists of some well educated people who question that what about the people who did not think of smoking but are suffering with cancer.They think that not only smoking but there are many more things or materials that human beings use in day to day life that might cause serious illnesses.One thing that comes in mind is platic which everyone uses in daily life for different purposes which also causes cancer.So if smoking should be made illegal than why not using plastic?

Lets just think as in we are environment.What the nature thinks?What action will it take to prevent illnesses and save lives?The answer is very simple nature always heals human nature not destroy it so it will definately wipe out smoking or any other component which causes harm to living beings.

Studies prove that human beings are the most intelligent species on earth as compared to other living beings.Speaking of which if nature helps us to avoid such things then why not we help ourselves out by making them illegal to produce.Moreover if someone else is getting harmed by what we do then we should first think of them not us.As we say the the one standing besides someone who is smoking then he or she becomes partial smoker.

All inclusive we should help each other out and take the facts in consideration that Smoking might lead to serious problems and making them illegal would be a great step for a better future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of banning smoking. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The argument regarding plastic is a distraction that weakens the focus on the health impacts of smoking. While the essay attempts to discuss the nature of the issue, the reasoning is somewhat abstract and lacks concrete evidence or logical depth. The connection between 'nature' and the legality of smoking is not clearly explained, leading to an underdeveloped argument. To improve, ensure that every paragraph directly supports your central thesis with relevant, logical points rather than tangential comparisons.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression between ideas is often disjointed. For instance, the transition from the health risks of smoking to the comparison with plastic is abrupt and confusing. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often mechanical or misused, such as 'Speaking of which' and 'All inclusive'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of the argument. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the overall coherence of the response.

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 word choices and collocations, such as 'diplomatic conversation' instead of 'controversial topic' and 'lead by smoking' instead of 'caused by smoking'. The phrase 'partial smoker' is also non-standard. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and the presence of errors in word choice limit the score. Expanding your range to include more academic collocations and precise terminology would be beneficial.

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 readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('the illnesses that might lead by smoking are not just injurious they are deadly'), punctuation errors, and awkward phrasing ('the one standing besides someone who is smoking'). There are also spelling errors like 'compeletly' and 'platic'. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors would lead to immediate improvement.

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