Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-06

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)

In contemporary society, smoking has become a matter of great significance due to its far reaching implications. Some people, particularly active smokers argue that smoking does not pose serious health hazards. While others contend that smoking should be made illegal due to its negative impacts on health and environment. I strongly agree with the latter view due to the fact that smoking is not only harmful for the smokers, it is a great threat to the well-being of the whole society.

One of the primary drawbacks of smocking is that it causes severe health problems. A single cigrettee has thousand of cancer causing elements, which significantly increase the chances of cancer in smokers. Another key factor is that it also have deleterious health effect on people who are exposed to the smoke. In addittion, smokers spend a substantial amount of their income on these products which in reality is a waste of money. Adoloscents are the most vulnurable to smoking habits.

To counter this issue, government should take measures to ban the selling of smoking products. Children ought to be guided in schools about the negative effects of smoking. Furthermore, Strict measures must be taken by educational institutes to eliminate the threats of smoking. In my opinion, government initiatives can promote healthy lifestyles and educate people about the negative impacts of smoking on peoples lives. For example, rehabilitation centers can encourage addicts to stop using narcotics and improve their well-being.

From my perspective, this threat can be readily eliminated by carefull and strategic considerations of governments. The establishments of non-smoking campaigns and built rehabilitation centers for the affected individuals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear in the introduction: you strongly agree that smoking should be illegal, and you give relevant reasons, including health risks to smokers and people exposed to smoke. However, the response only partly develops the task. It does not fully explain why these harms justify making smoking illegal, rather than regulating it or restricting sales, and the environmental impact mentioned in the introduction is not developed. The points about adolescents, school guidance and rehabilitation are relevant, but they are asserted briefly; the example about rehabilitation centres also shifts to narcotics without clearly connecting this to smoking. Develop fewer points with specific explanation or examples, and address the case for prohibition more directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to health concerns, proposed measures and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “One of the primary drawbacks” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is uneven: the second paragraph moves from cancer and second-hand smoke to personal spending and adolescents without explaining how these points connect. The final paragraph repeats the call for government action but ends with an incomplete sentence, so the conclusion does not bring the argument together clearly. Some connections are also mechanical, with several points introduced one after another rather than developed. Group related ideas, use references that make links explicit, and ensure each paragraph has a clear central purpose.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “far-reaching implications,” “deleterious health effect,” “vulnerable,” and “rehabilitation centres.” These choices show an effort to use more formal language. However, noticeable spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural combinations reduce clarity, such as “smocking,” “cigrettee,” “cancer causing elements,” and “eliminate the threats of smoking.” Some wording is also repetitive, particularly references to the “negative impacts” of smoking. Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe cigarettes as containing harmful chemicals and say that policies can reduce smoking or its harms. A smaller set of precise expressions would be more effective than ambitious wording used inaccurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and attempts at more complex structures, including “While others contend that smoking should be made illegal…” and “due to the fact that…”. However, errors occur frequently and sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to follow. Examples include “smoking is not only harmful for the smokers, it is a great threat,” where the clauses need clearer grammatical connection, and “it also have deleterious health effect,” which has agreement and number errors. The final sentence, “The establishments of non-smoking campaigns and built rehabilitation centers…,” is a fragment rather than a complete conclusion. Practise subject–verb agreement, articles and plurals, and check that every sentence has a complete main clause. Use complex structures only when you can control them accurately.

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