Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-02

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)

We mostly hear or see advertisement on T.V against smoking, claiming 'smoking is injurious to health. Smoking is not only harmful for smokers in addition it has also negative impact on the people in the surrounding. In this essay I will talk about its hazardous impact on our environment.

Why do people smoke? Some smokes to relax their mind, some to tackle the stress or problem, some to escape the situation and the list goes on. Everyone has their own reason to smoke. In recent years the ways of smoking have evolved. Previously cigarette is the only way to smoke. In addition, if a person is well to do he prefers to smoke cigar or pipe. But now many other things have introduce in the market except cigarette and cigar like shesha, electric cigarette, vape and all these have same impact on person's health.

A cigarette has nicotine, when a person smokes, nicotine hits the brain and releases the hormones that relax the mind. Moreover with the passage of time the number of cigarette a person smokes has also increased. For instance, previously a person smoked three or four cigarettes a day but now the number has increased to seven to eight per day. With the time passing he needs more nicotine to relax. In addition, it is also harmful for lungs. A person continuously inhales smoke which eventually damage the lungs and in future he might have lung cancer. Smoking is not only hazardous for a smoker but also for the people whom he spends time with. For example, if a person is an active smoker the people around him are passive smokers. In this way, smoking is effecting the society too.

In my opinion, the government should take measures to ban or reduce smoking. They can impose heavy taxes, ban smoking in public areas by designated the smoking areas, set the age limit of smokers, stopping the easy access to smoking items, or can made it illegal. In this way we can save our society and young generation to get indulge in such activities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the health impacts of smoking and suggesting government intervention. However, the position is not fully developed. While you mention that smoking should be made illegal, the essay focuses heavily on the physiological effects of nicotine and the history of smoking methods rather than providing a balanced argument on the feasibility or morality of a total ban. The conclusion introduces several measures, but these are listed rather than argued. To improve, ensure that each paragraph directly supports your stance on whether a total ban is the most effective solution compared to other public health strategies.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'In addition' and 'Moreover'. Some transitions between sentences feel abrupt, particularly in the second paragraph where the jump from reasons for smoking to the evolution of smoking methods lacks a smooth logical bridge. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect the health consequences more directly to the argument for a ban.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'hazardous', 'passive smokers', and 'designated'. However, there are instances of word-choice errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'well to do' (should be 'wealthy' or 'affluent') and 'things have introduce' (should be 'have been introduced'). The phrase 'get indulge' is also grammatically incorrect. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that less common vocabulary is used accurately in context rather than relying on general terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several recurring grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. For example, 'Previously cigarette is the only way' should be 'Previously, cigarettes were the only way'. You also have issues with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency, such as 'smoking is effecting' (should be 'affecting') and 'can made it illegal' (should be 'can make it illegal'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focus on proofreading for basic verb forms and pluralization.

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

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