Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-30
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 fact , that Smoking can cause serious health issues . It mainly effects lungs and overall health.The question that you have raised is quite controversial , whether it should be made illegal.From my point of view I would say that it should be limited instead of entirely banned.
In today's modern and difficult world new generation is turning towards smoking and many other drugs to lessen their anxiety and depression and it actually helps them.
Making it illegal will turn people against government resulting in instability and many other problems.There are many other ways to deal with it such as ,spreading awareness through social media and also asking University and school teachers to inform about hallarious effects of smoking on health.
Though government can ban smoking in public places to reduce it from spreading.It can be an effective way and it has worked very well in many countries such Taiwan,Germany and china.Public campaings can also be helpful to overcome this disaster from spreading as it is becoming common now a days.Government should ask people to help it by making smokers uncomfortable while they smoke by stairing .It can be done by stairing at smokers ,when they smoke.
Thus , government should not make smoking completely illegal. It can not be an effective way to control it ,instead it can create more trouble for government.Government should go for alternatives such as making it illegal in public places or it should raise the prices of cigratesand and wapes .This can be an effective way to counter it.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position that smoking should be limited rather than completely banned. Ideas are supported with relevant arguments, such as the potential for government instability, public campaigns, and alternative restrictions like raising prices or banning smoking in public places. However, some arguments, such as suggesting people make smokers uncomfortable by staring at them, are underdeveloped and slightly informal. The position is maintained consistently throughout the text. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is attempted, though spacing and indentation are somewhat erratic and lack a clean standard structure. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Thus', 'Though', and 'In today's modern and difficult world', but referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or abrupt. For example, jumping between different anti-smoking measures disrupts the smooth progression of ideas. Overall, cohesion is functional but exhibits weaknesses, aligning well with the Band 5.5 descriptors.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases like 'controversial', 'instability', and 'campaigns'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'effects' instead of 'affects', 'hallarious' instead of 'hilarious' (or a stronger academic equivalent like 'detrimental'), 'campaings', 'cigratesand', and 'wapes'. These lexical inaccuracies and typos occasionally detract from the reading experience, though they do not completely impede communication. This performance fits the Band 5.5 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Making it illegal will turn people against government resulting in instability...' and 'Though government can ban smoking in public places to reduce it from spreading.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('turn people against government'), punctuation issues (unnecessary spaces before commas and periods), and minor run-on structures. Control over punctuation and sentence boundaries is inconsistent. While communication is generally maintained, the frequency of errors places this response firmly at Band 5.0.
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