Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-11
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 5.0)
Smoking is widely recogonized by major cause of serious herath problem. some people believe that therefore it should be prohibited by law . i completely agree with this statement because banning smoking could protect public health and reduce the burden on heathcare system.
The main reason why smoking should be illegal is that it seriously damaged peoples health. Regular smoker has higher risk of developing diseases such as lungs cancer , hearth diseases , respioratory problem . moreover passing smoking air can also affect non-smoker , particullary children and family . for example: children who regular enhale smoking from their parents can suffer from breathing problem . therefore banning cigaratee could create healthier environment for society.
Another important reason is that smoking - related illness place a considerable burden on healthcare system. government have spend large amount of money treating diseases caused by tobacco use . if smoking were prohibited, the number of people who suffere from these illness could generally decline , allowing government allocate more money pn another sector such as education, water and electricity aqnd healthcare prevention . therefore prohibited could benefit in health and economic sector.
in conclusion , i agree that smoking should made illegal because it causes serious diseases , harm people on healthcare system.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of banning smoking. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the main points regarding health risks and economic burdens are relevant, they are not fully developed or supported with sufficient detail. The conclusion is also quite brief and repetitive. To improve, you must expand your arguments with more specific examples or deeper analysis to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more thorough exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a clear progression of ideas, moving from health concerns to economic impacts. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'The main reason', 'Another important reason', 'therefore'). Additionally, there are some issues with referencing and sentence-level flow, such as the awkward phrasing in the conclusion. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are frequent spelling errors, such as 'recogonized', 'herath', 'hearth', 'respioratory', 'cigaratee', and 'suffere'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'prohibited', 'burden', and 'healthcare system', the limited range and persistent spelling mistakes prevent a higher score. Focusing on accurate spelling and incorporating more sophisticated collocations would significantly improve your lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include missing articles (e.g., 'by major cause', 'on healthcare system'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'should made illegal', 'government have spend'), and punctuation errors. These errors are frequent and sometimes impede the clarity of your message. To improve, you should focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that complex sentence structures are grammatically sound.
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.