Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-19

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 often argued by some people that smoking is the cause of many diseases and it should be banned. Although, some people might disagree with this statement, I completely agree with it. Because smoking creates many health issues and polluting the environment, but also it becomes an addiction in young generation.

There are many social issues take place in society due to smoking. Firstly, smoking is effecting the society with many diseases. As it makes almost every second person's life difficult because it affects breathing which is making them Asthma pateint. Take an example of India, where a report issued which stated that almost 40% population is facing breathing problems which generally caused by Smoking. Thus, smoking is affecting people in terms of health peoblems.

Secondly, smoking is also affecting our environment and polluting the atmosphere. As when some smokes that person left the waste behind which is making pollution. For instance, in Somalia the provisional minister makes a press conference and told people who smokes on bus stations and in buses left the waste behind and made others journey unpleasent because of pollution and waste. Hence, smoking is indeed not good for health and environment.

Finally, smoking is too addictive and destroing the lives of young generation. As mostly it is affecting the youth and they are wasting money in such activities which in the end have bad results in future.

To sum up, I beleive that smoking is indeed not good for the humanity and society. In terms of health issues and polluting the environment, but also it is becoming an addiction in young generation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position agreeing that smoking should be made illegal, supporting it with reasons such as health issues and environmental pollution. The position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the ideas are somewhat generalized and under-developed, particularly the supporting examples like the mentioned reports and statements. For instance, stating 'almost 40% population is facing breathing problems which generally caused by Smoking' lacks specific, well-reasoned substantiation typical of higher band levels. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are addressed, placing this comfortably at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing distinct points (health, environment, addiction), and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Finally', although some linking is repetitive or mechanically applied (e.g., 'As it makes...' starting sentences). Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'when some smokes that person left the waste behind'. Overall, the arrangement is coherent, showing clear logical progression, matching the Band 6 descriptors well.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, touching on topics like health, environment, and addiction. There are several spelling and word choice errors, such as 'pateint' instead of patient, 'peoblems' instead of problems, 'destroing' instead of destroying, and 'beleive' instead of believe. While the student attempts less common vocabulary ('provisonal minister', 'unpleasent'), inaccuracies in collocation and spelling occur. However, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message without severely impeding communication, fitting the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as 'Because smoking creates many health issues and polluting the environment, but also it becomes an addiction' (fragment and poor coordination) and 'smoking is effecting the society' (incorrect verb form). Punctuation and article use also show noticeable inaccuracies. Because errors are frequent and occasionally interfere with sentence flow, the grammar aligns 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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