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)

I completely agree with the statement where it says "Smoking can cause serious illnesses and should be made illegal". According to numerous studies, researchers found that, it damages our heart, lungs and internal organs. It can reduce our lifespan by 5-10%.

In some countries like Japan, where rules are really strict, it is prohibited to smoke in the public space. They have separate space for smoking for people. Other countries are also trying to maintain this habit. Although it seems almost impossible for countries like Bangladesh, India or Pakistan. Uncontrollable population growth make this even worse.

People are aware of the fact that smoking causes cancer. Although they can't stop smoking. The most alarming is that children of under age 18, started to smoke. Driven by curiosity or depression, they start to smoke. Eventually they become addicted to smoking. Researchers found that, smokers have 70% more likely to cause lungs cancer than non-smokers. For example, one of my friends was a chain smoker. He couldn't stop smoking even for a day. Sometimes he used to smoke 20-30 in a single day. Last year he died due to severe cancer.

Nutritionists claim that, there are no benefit of smoking. It only causes harm to our body. Its also damaging our nearby people. Most countries are trying to control this phenomenon through law enforcement and increasing the price of tobacco. Ultimately it all comes down to the fact that, how people are careful of their own health. It is high time we change ourselves and say no to smoking once and for all.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of banning smoking. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While you mention health risks and the impact on youth, the argument regarding why it should be made illegal is not fully explored; you touch upon law enforcement but do not deeply analyze the feasibility or the societal implications of a total ban. The mention of specific countries like Japan and Bangladesh is relevant, but the connection between population growth and the difficulty of banning smoking is not clearly explained. To reach a higher band, ensure that every point made directly supports your central argument with more detailed reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a central focus. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. While you use some linking words like 'Although' and 'Eventually', the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive markers to better connect your ideas. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'Other countries are also trying to maintain this habit,' where the reference to 'this habit' is ambiguous in the context of the previous sentence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'prohibited,' 'addicted,' and 'law enforcement.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'there are no benefit of smoking' should be 'there are no benefits to smoking,' and 'smokers have 70% more likely to cause lungs cancer' is grammatically and lexically awkward. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your vocabulary choices are consistently accurate. The range is sufficient to convey your meaning, but lacks the sophistication required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'Uncontrollable population growth make this even worse' (subject-verb agreement), 'children of under age 18, started to smoke' (incorrect preposition/tense), and 'Its also damaging our nearby people' (incorrect pronoun usage and awkward phrasing). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focus on subject-verb agreement, correct tense usage, and proper punctuation to improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.