Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-25

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)

There is doubt that smoking can cause many serious diseases like cancer. It can also increase the rate of heart attack in young generation. That's why, I think smoking must be prohibited in Pakistan.

It is very dangerous for our health as well as nation. Smoking become predominant in our society. It is increases rapidly. Even some children gradually involved in smoking. It can destroy our nation, if we don't take action. Instead of promoting this habit we should keep distance from it.

At the the age of studying, children involved in this habit because they learn from their elders. If someone smoke regularly, there is a chance that his children also become smoker. That's why we should avoid smoking and tells its harmful effects to our children.

From my prospective, government should made smoking illegal and don't allow companies to sell their products related to smoking. The smoking become common in most places because there are no such polices are created to prevent smoking. The rules must be same for drug seller and smoking product seller because both are dangerous for society and our health. Another method to decrease the ratio of smoking is that we should educate people about its harmful effect on health.

Many people thinks that it is impossible for someone who smoke for a long time to quit smoking. But is not as difficult as people think. for instance, recently my uncle got heart attack because he smoked for around 15 years. But after heart attack they decided to quiet this habit and he achieve success to get rid of smoking.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that smoking should be illegal. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention health risks and the influence on children, the arguments remain quite general and repetitive. To achieve a higher band, you should expand on your points with more sophisticated reasoning or broader societal implications. For example, instead of just stating that smoking is dangerous, you could discuss the economic burden on public healthcare systems or the ethical implications of banning a legal product. The conclusion is present, but the overall depth of the argument is restricted by the simple nature of the supporting points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. Phrases like 'That's why' are used frequently to link ideas, which limits the flow. Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the health risks to children and the government's role in banning products is a bit disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in light of this') would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'dangerous', 'bad', and 'habit'. There are also some noticeable word-choice errors, such as 'predominant' used incorrectly to mean 'widespread' or 'prevalent', and 'quiet' instead of 'quit'. To improve, you should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology. For example, instead of 'increase the rate of heart attack', you could use 'elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease'. Expanding your vocabulary to include more topic-specific academic language will help you convey your ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('Smoking become', 'It is increases'), article usage ('at the the age'), and incorrect verb forms ('government should made'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these persistent errors suggest a lack of control over more complex structures. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that verb tenses are used consistently throughout your paragraphs. Proofreading for small errors like 'the the' or incorrect modal verb constructions will also help raise your score.

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

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