Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-07

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 5.0)

It is clearly evident that smoking causes various critical diseases. There are opininons in favour to ban smoking and making it illegal. I completely agree with this statement and the reasons for my inclination are discussed in further paragraphs.

To begin with, majority of the lung diseases are associated with smoking. Nearly one third of world's population smoke cigarettes or vapes. It is proven medically that smoking is prominent cancer causing activity. For instance, smoking roughly around twenty cigarettes a day is believed as the primary cause for lungs or mouth cancer. Moreover, it is more harmful for surrounding people who donot smoke. The smoke contains carcinoges and carbon monoxide which are extemely poisonous for living beings.

In addition to that, it is highly addictive. Individuals often develop a habit to smoke daily.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

Your position is clear: “I completely agree,” and you give relevant reasons, including smoking-related illness and harm to people exposed to second-hand smoke. However, the response addresses the task only minimally because it ends before developing these points or fully explaining why smoking should be illegal. The claim that “majority of the lung diseases” are linked to smoking and the example about twenty cigarettes are not explained or supported, and the final point about addiction is left unfinished. The required minimum of 250 words is not met: the response contains 133 words. To strengthen your answer, explain how prohibition could reduce harm, consider a relevant counterargument, and support each main idea with a developed example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction is followed by a paragraph about disease and second-hand smoke, then a paragraph beginning “In addition to that.” Linking phrases such as “To begin with” and “Moreover” help signal the order of ideas. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph contains only two short sentences and does not develop its point or lead to a conclusion. The opening also promises that reasons “are discussed in further paragraphs,” but the response does not fulfil that plan. Build a clear sequence of fully developed body paragraphs, use references such as “this exposure” to connect ideas, and finish with a conclusion that restates your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-specific vocabulary, including “carcinogens,” “carbon monoxide,” “addictive,” and “primary cause,” which helps communicate the subject. There is also an attempt at more formal phrasing in “I completely agree with this statement.” However, several word choices or spellings are inaccurate or awkward, such as “critical diseases,” “prominent cancer causing activity,” and “believed as the primary cause.” Errors including “opininons,” “carcinoges,” and “extemely” reduce accuracy. The range is also limited by the short response and repeated use of “smoking.” Aim for precise collocations, for example “serious illnesses,” “a major cause of cancer,” and “is believed to be a cause,” and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce some clear simple sentences, such as “I completely agree with this statement,” and attempt more complex structures with “Moreover, it is more harmful for surrounding people who donot smoke.” The meaning is generally understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, the opening phrase needs an article in “the majority of,” and “smoking roughly around twenty cigarettes a day is believed as the primary cause” has an awkward construction; use “is believed to be a major cause.” The sentence “There are opininons in favour to ban smoking and making it illegal” also has an inconsistent pattern after “in favour.” Practise accurate infinitive and gerund patterns, articles, and sentence construction, then check spacing and punctuation.

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