Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-07-30
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)
In recent years, smoking has become a matter of considerable public interest, prompting an intense debate among people, regarding its impact on individuals and the environment. It is undeniable that smoking poses severe risks to human health. While I strongly agree that smoking can cause chronic diseases, I partially agree with that it should be made entirely illegal. In this essay I will discuss some reasons and provides example in order to support my opinion.
One of the driving reason behind why smoking is not illegal is that governments have no such law to restrict individuals right . In other words, if authorities were to give a chance to stop smoking among the public
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 is significantly under-length, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. Because the essay is incomplete and stops mid-sentence, the task is only partially addressed. The position is stated in the introduction, but the arguments are not developed, and the essay lacks a conclusion. To improve, you must ensure you provide a full response that explores both sides of the argument with supporting evidence and a clear conclusion. The current length prevents a full development of ideas, which is a critical requirement for Task 2.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is too short to demonstrate effective paragraphing or logical progression. While there is an attempt at an introduction, the second paragraph is cut off abruptly, making it impossible to evaluate the overall structure or the use of cohesive devices. To achieve a higher score, you need to organize your ideas into distinct paragraphs—an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion—using linking words such as 'furthermore', 'consequently', or 'on the other hand' to connect your thoughts logically.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the topic, with phrases like 'considerable public interest' and 'intense debate'. However, the range is limited due to the brevity of the text. There are some minor errors, such as 'provides example' instead of 'provides examples'. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to health, legislation, and social policy, and ensure you use plural forms correctly when referring to general concepts.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex structures, but there are noticeable errors. For instance, 'agree with that it should be' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'agree that it should be'. Additionally, 'driving reason behind why' is slightly redundant. The incomplete nature of the sentences makes it difficult to assess your control over complex structures. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and preposition usage to ensure your sentences are error-free.
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