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)

I am in agreement with the view that smoking can cause several health problems and the government should make illegal cigarettes and all vapes. I can see in the UK a huge number of children who smoke and buy vapes from different shops with legal licence. It's widely believed that all those stores are designed for aduld with a proof of age card and children are not allowed to enter without an adult. In fact and in contemporary society the reality is a remarkable challenge and children should be punish, the vape stores can be closed or parents can spend more time to teach their kids about all diseases caused by cigarettes and vapes.

Also, what can we say about the price of all this devices? They are remarkably pricey and we can borrow or spend money for items and food which is really important for life.

On certain occasions we don't think about our life, and we believe that we never will die. Reality is affect us in many ways every way in this world because everywhere we see a lot of diseases caused by the cigarettes and vapes. They are the most affected and can develop cancer of lungs, skin and any other harmful conditions which will change life and give them a short time with lovers, family and friends.

In summary we should avoid all those situation and enjoy life without being addicted and teach our kids about healthy style, and why not, in school can be a good session.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a position in favour of prohibition, stating that smoking causes health problems and that cigarettes and vapes should be made illegal. You also give relevant points about children accessing these products, health risks such as cancer, and the money spent on them. However, the response only partly develops the central question: it does not explain clearly why making smoking illegal would be effective or address possible counterarguments, such as personal freedom or enforcement. Some points shift towards punishing children or educating them, rather than explaining the case for a legal ban. To strengthen the response, develop two or three main reasons with specific explanations or examples, and keep each paragraph closely tied to whether smoking should be illegal.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: it introduces your view, presents several supporting points, and ends with a summary. Paragraph breaks also help separate the discussion of access, cost, and health. However, progression between ideas is not always clear. For example, the move from children buying vapes to punishing children, closing shops, or educating parents presents several possible solutions without showing how they connect to the proposed ban. Phrases such as “On certain occasions” and “Reality is affect us” do not clearly signal the relationship between the ideas that follow. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s main point, then explain it in sequence; use linking expressions only where they accurately show contrast, cause, or result.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “health problems,” “proof of age,” “diseases,” “cancer,” and “addicted,” so the reader can understand the subject and your main concerns. There are also attempts at more emphatic language, such as “remarkably pricey” and “harmful conditions.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. Examples include “legal licence” for shops, “healthy style,” and “short time with lovers.” Spelling is also an issue in “aduld.” Aim for precise, natural phrases and avoid repeating broad terms such as “all those” and “a lot of.” The suggestions below offer alternatives that better fit an academic argument.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a relative clause in “children who smoke” and a sentence beginning “On certain occasions.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, and articles sometimes make the reader work to understand your meaning. For example, “children should be punish” has an incorrect verb form, while “Reality is affect us” does not form a grammatical clause. The sentence beginning “It's widely believed” also combines several ideas without clear grammatical links. Practise building accurate subject–verb sentences first, then connect them with subordinate clauses. Check verb forms after modal verbs and ensure each sentence has a clear main clause and appropriate punctuation.

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