Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-26

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 5.5)

Smoking can lead to serious health problems in human beings if not curbed and made illegal to use. Smoking is the root of main lungs and breathing disease in a person. It can adversely affect the people who smoke regularly in their daily life.

Smoking causes diseases like lung cancer, asthma and also serious heart stroke and other respiratory problems. People who smoke regularly are aware of this diseases but they take a considerable amount of risk releated to their lives. Making smoking illegal is not the real solution for this hazardous problem but educating the smokers about the deadly consequences it can lead to should be emphasized about. let's understand by an example that a packet of ciagarettes always contains the mandatory warning about health problems caused by smoking but most of the people ignores or doesn't take that warning seriously and continue smoking their cigarattes. So, they are totally aware about the adverse health issues that they will face in the future but smokers does not have any problem with that considerable amount of disease which they are inviting to ruin their families.

Whereas making smoking illegal is not a one stop solution for this vicious threat to humanity but educating the affected people about the lethal disease can be a road to success in my opinion because making it illegal can establish a significant rise in the crime by the people addicted to smoking as we have already seen in lebanon cafe sit ins case where making smoking illegal in public places leaded to a widespread backlashes and organized protest.

Repurcations for smoking should be advertised between the citizens rather than simple declaring it illegal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a clear position against making smoking illegal, and you give relevant reasons: warning labels are often ignored, while prohibition could lead to crime or protest. The examples of cigarette packets and the Lebanon case help show the direction of your argument. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The health effects are listed, but the essay does not explain in much detail why education would change smokers’ behaviour or how prohibition might produce the consequences you predict. The reference to the Lebanon case is also difficult to assess because it is not explained. To strengthen the response, develop each main reason with a clearer explanation and a specific, well-supported example, while directly weighing the seriousness of smoking-related illness against your objections to prohibition.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable progression: it introduces the health risks, argues that education is preferable to prohibition, and ends by restating that view. Paragraph breaks also separate the main stages of the argument. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive, particularly where the warning label and smokers’ awareness are explained several times. Connectors such as “Whereas” and “but” do not always make the relationship between ideas clear, and the final paragraph introduces the Lebanon example without enough context. Some references, including “this vicious threat” and “the affected people,” are broad. Organise the essay around two distinct supporting reasons, use linking phrases to show cause and contrast accurately, and make each example’s connection to your position explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “respiratory problems,” “deadly consequences,” “hazardous,” and “organized protest.” These choices show an effort to discuss the issue beyond basic terms. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the argument harder to follow: “root of main lungs and breathing disease,” “serious heart stroke,” and “one stop solution” are examples. Spelling errors such as “ciagarettes,” “cigarattes,” and “Repurcations” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, conventional expressions and check spelling carefully. For example, use established terms for illnesses and describe a policy as an effective or comprehensive solution rather than relying on an unclear phrase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, for example the sentence beginning “Making smoking illegal is not the real solution” and the sentence explaining the warning on cigarette packets. This gives the response some structural variety. However, complex sentences are often not controlled accurately, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and punctuation recur. Examples include “most of the people ignores,” “smokers does not have,” and “making smoking illegal … leaded.” The sentence beginning “let’s understand by an example” also runs on and has unclear clause boundaries. Review subject–verb agreement and past-tense forms, and divide long sentences where necessary. More accurate control of these patterns would make your reasoning easier to follow.

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