Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-26

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)

It is argued that serious illness can be caused by smoking hence, it shoukd be prohibited and banned legally. Smoking can cause serious lungs and cardiovascular diseases that's risking human life expectancy, so it should be banned.The following essay agrees with the statement.

One of the reasons smoking should be banned legally because it's causing serious lungs diseases leaving smokers with bunch of breathing problems Likewise, if people would left with heavy fines on buying smoking materials they will be considerate in buying those items. For example, in China the number of lung cancer cases are on high rise due to huge numbers of chain smokers, so the country is making efforts to reduce the number by putting heavy fines on buying cigarettes and other smoking materials.

The smoking should be considered illegal due to rise in number of deaths by heart attack. Smoking is directly linked to various heart problems making low task and life expectancy. For example, according the recent research conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO) the people who had heart attacks in recent years turned out to be chain smokers. Therefore, smoking should be considered illegal in order to save majority of life being dwelled into smokes of cigarettes.

In conclusion, smkoing is a cause of many health problems, so it should be banned by government in order to save people lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt directly by agreeing that smoking should be made illegal and attempts to support this with reasons such as health problems and heavy fines. However, the ideas are somewhat repetitive and lack deep development. Furthermore, the response is under-length, containing only 226 words against the required 250 words, which places a ceiling on the task achievement score. While a clear position is maintained throughout, the under-length penalty and limited development of supporting arguments prevent the essay from reaching higher bands. To improve, you should expand your arguments with more detailed explanations, concrete personal or societal impacts, and ensure you always meet or exceed the 250-word minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay displays a basic structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. However, the logical progression is frequently hindered by awkward transitions and mechanical cohesive devices, such as starting a sentence with 'Likewise, if people would left...' which does not fit the context. Paragraphing is attempted, but the grouping of ideas is somewhat disjointed. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and some sentences feel disjointed rather than flowing naturally to the next. To achieve a higher band score, ensure that cohesive devices are used more naturally to link ideas and that each paragraph focuses clearly on a single, well-developed central theme.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it lacks the range and sophistication required for higher bands. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'shoukd be prohibited and banned legally' (typographical and repetitive), 'lungs diseases' instead of 'lung diseases', and 'making low task and life expectancy'. Spelling errors like 'smkoing' also appear. While you attempt some less common vocabulary such as 'cardiovascular diseases' and 'chain smokers', the numerous inaccuracies in word formation and collocation constrain your score. To improve, focus on learning correct collocations and checking your spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical control is weak. There are frequent errors in grammar and sentence structure, such as 'if people would left with heavy fines' (incorrect voice and tense) and 'according the recent research' (missing preposition). Punctuation and article usage are also inconsistent throughout the text. Although these errors rarely completely impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to distract the reader. To improve, you should review conditional structures, passive voice forms, and ensure your complex sentences are grammatically accurate.

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

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