Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-11

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)

Nowadays, people do smoking so much and damaged their organs it is very harmful for them and they should remove it from their life. This essay will discuss the negative aspects of it and how to avoid it.

First of all, individuals become so addicted to smokes and they find it very cool aware of it`s consequences but still want it. They know that tobacco can cause serious problems like lungs cancer, throat cancer etc. Decades ago only elder people use cigs when they were in groups of friends but today, it becomes so popular among youngsters. Moreover, not only cigarettes, youth is addicted to vapes, pods, drugs and all kind of these things. All of these can damage their internal system.

However, this is very serious issue that mostly nations are facing because younger ones are the future of country and they have to build the society. So, it`s very crucial to take this aspect serious and worried about youth`s health. Every nation must have some rules in their country about smoking to protect the public. One beneficial role that a society can do to aware population about the harmness of cigs is to arrange campaigns about importance of health by government. Another step that can be helpful is that smoking should be banned for minors. Adults must be responsible for their juniors and they have to take care of them and protect them from smoking.

In conclusion, smoke can cause severe illness but it can`t be banned for everyone but it can be reduced and government should take urgent actions to reduce the consumption of cigarettes and tobacco.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a relevant position in the conclusion: smoking should not be banned for everyone, but its use should be reduced through government action. The discussion of illness, youth smoking, campaigns, and restrictions for minors is connected to the topic. However, the essay does not fully develop the central question of whether smoking should be made illegal: most of the body discusses health risks and prevention, rather than weighing a general ban against alternatives. The opening promises to discuss “how to avoid it,” but does not clearly state your degree of agreement. Develop the reasons behind your position—for example, why education and age restrictions are preferable to a complete ban—and support them with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “First of all,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help signal movement between points. However, progression within the body paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the discussion shifts from cigarettes to vapes, pods, and drugs, then to national responsibility and campaigns without explaining how each point supports your answer about making smoking illegal. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “this aspect” and “these things” are not precise. Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain and illustrate it, using clearer links between the health argument and your position on legislation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “addicted,” “tobacco,” “serious problems,” “campaigns,” and “consumption,” so the reader can follow the general subject. There are also attempts to use more formal expressions, such as “urgent actions.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning awkward: “people do smoking,” “aware of its consequences,” “harmness,” and “take this aspect serious.” Spelling and form errors such as “cigs” and “lungs cancer” also reduce precision. Build a bank of natural topic phrases and check word forms and collocations; for instance, use “smoke,” “be aware of,” and “the harmful effects of smoking.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because” and “that,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors occur frequently across sentence patterns and can make some ideas difficult to read. Examples include “people do smoking so much and damaged their organs,” where the verb forms do not fit together, and “younger ones are the future of country,” which has article and number problems. There are also errors in agreement and sentence construction, as in “youth is addicted” and “One beneficial role that a society can do.” Practise accurate present-tense forms, subject–verb agreement, articles, and complete clause structures, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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