Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-13

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)

One of the most concerning topics over many decades is the consumption of cigarettes. Smoking has had a drastic impact on the health of all age groups. The Consumption of this drug can cause serious health issues and should be banned by lawmakers at once. In the essay, I shall discuss the negative effects of having it and why it should be banned.

To start with, puffing the leaves with high levels of nicotine will make people get addicted to it. In is leading to severe damage to the lungs of the consumers and many people are also suffering from mouth cancer. For example, we all are aware that smoking is the reason that has to be blamed for the increase in the number of mouth cancers. This daily feeding of harmful substances to the body is making the respiratory systems of humans weak.

Although it plays a prominent role in revenue generation for governing authorities,there

is a peak need now to ban it all over. It is no longer the issue concerned with adults as many young children are also getting habituated to these bad habits and neglecting their studies, which should be addressed on an immediate basis now.

Considering all the new effects these cigars can make on the health of consumers like lung damage, cancer and improper functioning of the respiratory system, the lawmakers should take strict and quick actions to make sure that these products are banned and should impose punishments if found to be consumed by any people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that smoking should be banned, and you give relevant reasons, including addiction, lung damage, cancer and the influence of smoking on young people. You also acknowledge the counterpoint that tobacco generates government revenue. However, the discussion remains limited and several claims are asserted rather than explained. For instance, the example about mouth cancer does not provide a specific illustration or evidence, and the point about children neglecting their studies is not clearly connected to why smoking should be illegal. Develop each reason with explanation or a relevant example, and address the implications of a legal ban, such as enforcement or personal freedom, to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. Sequencing phrases such as “To start with” and “Considering” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression between ideas is not always clear. The second body paragraph shifts from government revenue to children’s habits without explaining the connection, while the conclusion largely repeats the health points rather than drawing the argument together. Some linking is also awkward or repetitive, and the broken line in “there / is a peak need” interrupts the flow. Organise each paragraph around one main reason, then use clear references and transitions to show how its supporting details relate to the central position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “nicotine,” “respiratory systems,” “revenue generation” and “lawmakers,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “prominent role” and “immediate basis.” However, several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, including “puffing the leaves,” “daily feeding of harmful substances,” “habituated to these bad habits” and “new effects these cigars can make.” Capitalisation is inconsistent in “Consumption,” and “cigars” is not an accurate substitute for cigarettes in this context. Aim for precise, natural collocations and avoid repeating general terms such as “bad habits” and “harmful substances”; this will make your argument clearer and more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a concession beginning “Although it plays a prominent role…” and a relative clause in “the reason that has to be blamed.” Meaning is generally understandable, but errors recur and some sentences are awkwardly constructed. For example, “In is leading to severe damage” has an incorrect subject and verb pattern, and “many people are also suffering from mouth cancer” does not fit smoothly with the preceding sentence. The long final sentence combines several ideas without clear grammatical control. Review sentence boundaries, subject–verb relationships and clause construction, and punctuate longer sentences carefully. More accurate control of these patterns would make your reasoning easier to follow.

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

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