Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-07-25
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)
Irrefutably, nowadays, the trend of smoking is increasing at an alarming rate. It leads to various health issues and sometimes results in long term illness. There is no doubt that it should be declared illegal. I fully agree with this statement.
To embark on , there are various health issues associated with smoking. The first and foremost one is it has detrimental impact in livers. Smokers likely to have bad livers, which leads to problems like asthma and mouth cancer.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 80 words long. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While you clearly state your position in the introduction, the body paragraph is severely underdeveloped and lacks the necessary depth, supporting evidence, and logical extension required for an IELTS Task 2 essay. To improve, you must expand your arguments with specific examples and ensure you address all parts of the prompt in a full-length essay format.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay shows a basic attempt at paragraphing and uses a cohesive device ('To embark on') to introduce the first point. However, because the response is so short, there is no real progression of ideas or overall structure. The transition 'To embark on' is also used incorrectly, as it is not a standard phrase for starting an argument. To achieve a higher score, you need to develop a clear introduction, multiple body paragraphs with topic sentences, and a conclusion, using a wider range of linking words to connect your ideas logically.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is somewhat limited and contains inaccuracies. For example, 'detrimental impact in livers' is an incorrect collocation; it should be 'detrimental impact on the liver'. Additionally, the claim that smoking causes asthma and mouth cancer is medically imprecise in the context of liver health. While you attempt some academic vocabulary like 'irrefutably' and 'detrimental', the range is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. Focus on learning accurate collocations and using more precise terminology related to health and public policy.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains several grammatical errors that hinder clarity. For instance, 'Smokers likely to have' is missing a verb ('are likely to have'), and 'the trend of smoking is increasing' is slightly unnatural. The sentence structures are simple, and there is a lack of complex grammatical forms. To improve, you should practice using a variety of sentence structures, including subordinate clauses and passive voice, while ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage. Proofreading for basic omissions, such as missing auxiliary verbs, is essential.
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