Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-18
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)
Some people argue that smoking can cause serious sicknesses and should totally be banned. However, I partially agree with this idea since ciggerates play a significant role in building the economy of a country if taken in moderation
On the other hand, those who assert that smoking should not be banned hold a belief that ciggerates and other smoking products play a pivotal role in boosting the country's GDP. For instance, bhang contributes to the economy of Kenya by providing employment opportunities to the sellers and also enables smokers enjoy their leisure time effectively This will be achieved if the smokers are advised to smoke in moderation so that they cannot get ill since these drugs are hazardous to people's general wellbeing.
On the one hand, proponents of the former view believe that serious illness like lung cancer is mainly caused by smoking ciggerates. This is mainly common among the senior citizens who consider smoking as a hobby. Later on, this hobby turns out into an addiction which makes it difficult for its users to quit. Consequently, respiratory diseases start affects these users and makes them unproductive in the society since most time will be used in moving from one health facility to another in pursuit of medication. As a result, the county's economy will be negatively affected as the working
To conclude, both sides present compelling arguments; However, I am firmly in favour of letting smoking continue being legal since because of its substantial advantages to the economy of the country.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt but struggles with logical consistency and relevance. While you take a clear position, your argument regarding the economic benefits of smoking is underdeveloped and relies on a problematic example (bhang, which is illegal in many contexts). The argument that smoking in moderation prevents illness is medically inaccurate and undermines the strength of your position. To improve, ensure your supporting points are grounded in logical, real-world reasoning rather than contradictory claims. The conclusion is abrupt and the final sentence is incomplete, which limits the development of your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow of ideas is often disjointed. While you use some cohesive devices like 'On the other hand' and 'Consequently,' the transition between the economic argument and the health argument is abrupt. The final paragraph is incomplete, leaving the sentence trailing off, which disrupts the overall coherence. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the vague mention of 'these drugs' when referring to cigarettes. Improving the logical progression between sentences and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, finished conclusion will significantly enhance your score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors, such as 'ciggerates' (cigarettes) and 'county's' (country's). You attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'pivotal role' and 'unproductive,' which is positive. However, the word choice is occasionally imprecise, such as referring to cigarettes as 'drugs' in a way that confuses the reader. To reach a higher band, focus on accurate spelling and using more precise collocations to express your ideas without relying on repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical errors are frequent. There are issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'respiratory diseases start affects' (start affecting) and 'makes them unproductive' (make them). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas and a run-on sentence in the second paragraph. The final sentence is grammatically incomplete, which is a significant error. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic agreement and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and that complex structures are punctuated correctly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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