Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-28

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)

Somoking is a very dangerous habit and it also harmful for heath ,its a real fact . I partially agreeed with this point, but make it competely illegal is not a practical soulation . it not only damage a single person's life but also dispute a whole family .

There are bundle of disadvantages of somking. Firstly, passive smoking caused many lungs disceases like lungs cancer or lungd damage. However , the biggest problem in that it effect only the smokers life but also not suitable for other people who sit or pass near the smoker . For instance, if a person smokes , it produces smoke that can harm people sitting nearby and also cause diseases. Furthermore, it increased the pressue on governments and insistes them to spent large bugude for heath care .

On the other side, making it completely illegal is not practical, because if government fully bans smoking , a black mrket may be appear, and crime could increase because people who are used to smoking will not quit easily. For example , prohibition from alcohol is proved fail ewerywhere.Moreover, its a personal freedom of individuals and bannd it is not beneficial but eduaction and awareness is the better way tu reduce it .

In conclusion, although smoking is like a slow death yet it harm body little by little since a complete ban might bring black markets and other issues instead of sloving everything. So , the governments tried to put heavy tax, bannd it at oublic places and foucing or making awareness compaigns are more affective .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you partly agree that smoking is harmful but oppose making it completely illegal. You address both sides of the question, giving relevant reasons such as passive smoking, pressure on healthcare budgets, black markets and personal freedom. The example of alcohol prohibition also supports your argument, although the broad claim that it “is proved fail everywhere” needs more careful qualification. Some points are less fully explained: for instance, you mention education and awareness as better solutions but do not explain how they would reduce smoking. Develop each main reason with a clearer explanation or a specific example, and make the conclusion’s recommendations more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on the harms of smoking, a paragraph opposing a total ban, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Furthermore,” “On the other side,” and “In conclusion” help show the direction of the argument. However, some links are mechanical or do not accurately express the relationship between ideas. For example, “However” introduces a point that continues the argument about passive smoking, while “On the other side” is less natural for presenting a counterargument. Some references, such as “it” in “it effect only the smokers life,” are unclear. Use more precise transitions and make the connection between each claim and its explanation explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “passive smoking,” “black market,” “personal freedom,” “health care,” and “awareness campaigns,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “pressure on governments.” However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause: examples include “Somoking,” “disceases,” “bugude,” and “foucing.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “a bundle of disadvantages” and “a slow death.” Aim to check spelling carefully and learn common collocations as complete phrases. More precise vocabulary for policy measures and health effects would make the argument clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if government fully bans smoking” and a contrast clause beginning “although.” This gives the response some variety, and the main argument is generally understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and verb forms recur. For example, “it also harmful” needs a verb, “it not only damage” has incorrect agreement, and “a black market may be appear” uses an incorrect verb pattern. Articles, plurals and punctuation also need attention, as in “the smokers life” and the spacing around commas. Practise building accurate sentences with “not only…but also,” conditionals and concession clauses, then proofread each sentence for a complete verb and correct agreement.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.