Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-21
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)
Tobacco consumption can lead to severe health problems and some people belive that it should be banned by law. Althuogh i agree with that smoking causes serious health problems and i do not believe that it should not be banned completely as awerness can help to reduce its consuption .
One of the main problem with smoking were seripus health problems. It causes several lung problems and it also leads to cancer.In adittion, smoking also cause problem for the people who are near to somkers and it mainly causes problem for children. For example if parents were smoking then the children around them will also be affected by inhaleing that smoke and it leads to many problems in children. In some cases children also may get additicted to smoking by observing there parents or the people around them. If that becomes addiction to the children then it leads to many problems in there future and they may also get birth related problems to them.
However, smoking should not be banned all at sudden as there are many bpeople who are already addicted to it that situation leads to many problems as they need that nicotine to get relaxed. This situation leads to get additied to some other things. For example if we consider a person who is already addicted to smoking the person will not stop smokin suddenly instead he search for an alternate source. I belive that government should bring awerness in people to stop smoking and the problems that arises due to smoking. So the people may reduce somking as they know the problems that arises due to somking.
In conclusion, somking causes many health problems although government should not ban smoke products it should bring awerness in people who are addicted to somking.
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
You address the central question and state a position: smoking causes serious harm, but you oppose a complete ban and favour awareness campaigns. The discussion of second-hand smoke and the possible effects on children is relevant, and the example of an addicted smoker helps explain your concern about an abrupt prohibition. However, the argument is only partly developed. The claim that people might turn to “some other things” is vague, and the conclusion repeats your position without weighing the health risks against the reasons for not banning tobacco. Develop the policy argument with clearer support—for example, explain how education, treatment, or restrictions could reduce harm while respecting your concerns.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about health effects, a contrasting paragraph about addiction and awareness, and a conclusion. “However” signals a change in direction, and examples generally appear alongside the point they support. Nevertheless, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. The first body paragraph moves from lung disease to second-hand smoke, then to children copying adults and possible birth-related problems, without clearly connecting or prioritising these points. Repeated phrases such as “this situation leads to” and “problems that arises” make the links mechanical. Use clearer topic sentences and explain each example’s connection to your main argument; ensure references such as “that situation” have an unmistakable meaning.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “nicotine,” “addicted,” “cancer,” and “health problems,” so the reader can follow the main subject. However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, particularly “problems,” “smoking,” and “leads to.” Noticeable spelling errors—such as “belive,” “awerness,” “somking,” and “additicted”—also reduce accuracy. Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “get relaxed,” “birth related problems,” and “bring awareness in people.” Build a more varied set of accurate collocations for health effects, dependence, and public policy, and check spelling carefully. More precise wording would make your reasoning easier to understand.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if parents were smoking then the children around them will also be affected.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. For example, “One of the main problem … were” has problems with number agreement and verb choice, while “smoking also cause problem” lacks agreement and plural marking. The opening also contains the confusing construction “I do not believe that it should not be banned.” Practise subject–verb agreement, consistent conditional forms, and sentence boundaries. Aim to make each sentence express one clear relationship before adding more complex clauses.
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