Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-10

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 injurious to health and this is the mose common phrase in this centuary which we use for the public.

To start with, i highly agree to this statement as it is the dark truth in today's world. First, it directly causes damage to the lungs which rises alot of respiratory problems and lasts in long term life. secondly, it is not only dangerous to the primary smoker because the person who is inhaling the air with smoke particles, is equally on risk.

Furthermore, it causes pollution in the environment and not safe for the population especially kids and seniors who have low immunity power in their bodies.

In my point of view, there must be strict rules and regulations on this consumption. First , we should have some seminars , campaigns organised on this matter and spread awareness of the harmful effects of smoking on health. Secondly, there must be license issued to the store who sells this product so that there will be no illegal supplies happens. Also, there must be age restriction rule applied for the youngsters which should be after 18 years old.

Every step of awareness matters and even small posters says Quit smoking can help public to get aware about the harmful impacts of smoking .

in Conclusion, i would say that there must be a big role of government involvement because if our ruling power will take one step forward, public will get aware for sure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You state a clear position in favour of restrictions, especially in “I highly agree,” and give relevant reasons: harm to smokers and people exposed to second-hand smoke, environmental effects, and risks to children and older people. However, the task asks whether smoking should be made illegal, while most of your response proposes regulation, awareness campaigns, licensing and age limits rather than explaining whether smoking itself should be prohibited. The reasons are also brief and general, with little supporting detail or a specific example. The conclusion focuses on government awareness rather than directly resolving the question. The response is six words below the required minimum, which further limits the development of your argument. Address the legality question explicitly and extend each main reason with explanation or an example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, paragraphs presenting health and environmental concerns, proposed measures, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “To start with,” “Furthermore,” and “Secondly” help readers follow the points. However, progression is somewhat mechanical, with repeated listing through “First” and “Secondly,” and the relationship between the claim that smoking should be illegal and the proposed measures is not made clear. Some ideas are separated into very short paragraphs, while the final paragraph repeats the call for government action without drawing the argument together. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s purpose, connect evidence to the central position, and vary linking methods so the organisation feels more developed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “respiratory problems,” “smoke particles,” “environment,” “age restriction,” and “harmful effects.” These choices make the subject clear, and there is some attempt to use more formal language. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, such as “rises alot of respiratory problems,” “low immunity power,” and “illegal supplies happens.” Spelling errors in “mose” and “centuary,” along with inconsistent forms such as “alot,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe smoking as “increasing the risk of respiratory disease” and refer to “people with weakened immune systems” rather than using less idiomatic phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “the person who is inhaling the air with smoke particles” and a conditional structure in “if our ruling power will take one step forward.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors occur frequently and sometimes make sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “i highly agree to this statement,” “there must be license issued,” and “there will be no illegal supplies happens,” which show problems with verb patterns, articles and agreement. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in lowercase “i” and the spacing around commas. Practise accurate sentence patterns, especially modal constructions (“there should be a licence issued”) and conditional forms (“if the government takes action, the public will become more aware”).

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