Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-13
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)
It is imperative to note that smoking can cause serious sickness and should be band because of its attendant effect which will be analysed in this text as i give my views and practical example.
Though people in colder region of the world may claim that smoking help them keep warm during winter but regardless it should be stopped because smokers are liable to die young.
Smoking does not just cause sicknesses like kidney failure or cancer which we all know that health is wealth but it makes smokers to become a shadow of themselves as they will look less appealing. The awful part is that those who smoke are often breadwinners who often leave their loved ones hopeless when they die as a result of health challenges that may stem out of the act of smoking .I know of an uncle of mine who was a chain smoker and looked like a skeleton and as a result, had low self esteem and was stigmatized to the point he could not take it but to take his own life.
I hope you will agree with me that smoking should not just be band because of the effect it might have on smokers but because of how it eats so deep in to our social fabric as a people cutting down deeply our workforce and leaving many especially children who are dependant hopeless and making our world an entirely unacceptable place to live.
In conclusion, let's band smoking and save not just people but nation because this has an unimaginable effect.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The student addresses the prompt by taking a clear stance that smoking should be made illegal. Main ideas are presented, such as the health risks and the social impact on families, particularly through the personal example of an uncle. However, the ideas lack sufficient depth and academic rigor. The reasoning tends to rely on emotional appeals rather than fully developed societal arguments. While all parts of the task are addressed, the over-generalisation and limited extension of supporting points place this response securely at Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into paragraphs, attempting to group ideas by themes such as health and social impact. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, and the overarching structure feels somewhat fragmented. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or mechanically applied, such as 'In conclusion' and 'Though'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the first sentence where pronoun shifts ('i give my views') disrupt the formal academic tone. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion within paragraphs needs strengthening to ensure a smoother flow, resulting in a Band 5.5 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with noticeable errors in word choice and spelling that impact precision. For instance, the student repeatedly uses 'band' instead of 'banned', and terms like 'sickness' and 'attendant effect' are used awkwardly. While there is a sufficient range of vocabulary to communicate the general message—such as 'chain smoker', 'stigmatized', and 'breadwinners'—the frequency of lexical inaccuracies and spelling mistakes restricts the score to a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complexity often result in grammatical errors and run-on sentences. For example, the opening sentence is an extremely long, poorly punctuated compound-complex structure containing multiple errors. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'smoking help them', 'makes smokers to become'), tense consistency, and punctuation. These frequent grammatical errors can cause occasional difficulty for the reader, aligning with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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