Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-06

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)

The percentages for smokers has shown considerable growth among individuals in recent times. It has become the major source of discussion in modern times. Although it may bring pleasure to many while meeting ups with friends or family, it has undoubtedly adverse effects. This essay will discuss the potential threats and disadvantages of smoking and how implications must be taken to overcome the hazards and banning it in the society.

One of the most prominent disadvantage of using cigarettes is it destroys the respiratory organs. Frequent cigarette users are found with numerous respiratory issues such as breathing. Individuals addicted to smoking usually have breathing disorders, Additionally, in some cases they are found to have sleeping disorders. For instance, researches show that cancer is the most common disease found in chain smokers, resulting in depletion of proper blood circulation in lungs and other parts of the body. In some cases, it was also seen that smokers also suffer from memory loss. The primary reason for all these diseases is that burning of a single cigarette can cause burning in substantial amounts in lungs, enabling deterioration in lungs and other respiratory tissues.

Another noteworthy drawback associated with smoking is that it has negative impacts on consciousness. A person addicted to smoking may sometimes lose his emotion resulting in severe consequences in relationships and other factors. Furthermore, smoking is hazardous to health in such a way that addiction also result in suffering from nutrition. A person who is addicted to smoking lack hunger, thus is unable to get proper nutrition required for a body. Smoking also results in the destruction of digestive organs, thus posing certain threat to the overall well-being of an individual. Scientists have declared that smokers lose the sense of taste after some time, resulting in depleting of taste organs in a body. It is therefore obligate on legal authorities to take certain measures and initiatives for the banning of such activity in society. Certain awareness programs must be held to mitigate the use of this nicotine. Governments and high-levels official must regulate certain laws to prohibit its use.

In conclusion, in the light of above proposed threats of consumption of nicotine as smoking, I personally believe that regulations must be made to ban the use of this notorious product in order to bring prosperity to the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the health risks of smoking and arguing for a ban. While the position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The essay focuses heavily on physiological effects, such as 'respiratory issues' and 'digestive organs,' but the argument for making it illegal is less developed, relying on general statements like 'it is therefore obligate on legal authorities.' The response covers all parts of the task, but some points, such as the claim that smoking causes 'memory loss' or 'loss of emotion,' lack scientific grounding or clear explanation, which limits the depth of the argument. To improve, ensure that each claim is supported by logical reasoning or clear examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One of the most prominent,' 'Another noteworthy drawback,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'It is therefore obligate on legal authorities.' Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the link between 'burning of a single cigarette' and 'burning in substantial amounts in lungs' is confusing. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations. For example, 'meeting ups with friends' should be 'meeting up,' and 'obligate on legal authorities' is not standard English usage. Phrases like 'depletion of proper blood circulation' and 'depleting of taste organs' are also unnatural. While the student attempts to use more academic vocabulary, such as 'mitigate' and 'notorious,' the inaccuracies in word formation and collocation occasionally hinder the precision of the argument. A wider range of precise, topic-specific vocabulary would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the clarity of the writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('The percentages... has shown,' 'addiction also result'), missing articles ('in the society'), and awkward phrasing ('a person who is addicted to smoking lack hunger'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often repetitive. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly enhance the accuracy of the text.

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