Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-04

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Doctors tell us that we can get all the vitamins we need from having a healthy diet. Despite this advice, some people continue to spend large sums of money on vitamin pills.

Why do you think some people spend a lot of money on vitamin pills?

How could people be persuaded to improve their diet instead of buying vitamin pills?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In this contemporary era, Most of the people rely on vitamin supplements to stay healthier. Many Individuals spent reasonable amount of money to buy the supplements as they might not get the vitamins from their food. It is always a good idea to maintain healthy diet instead of taking pills. In this essay, I will explain the reasons for buying pills and the solutions for improving the diet to prevent the pills.

Many People have pills if they have a disease and deficiency of the vitamins. Nutritious food would take more time to get the results and increase the level of vitamins. That is the reason, Many people find the easy way and take the pills. Apart from this, pills have been convenient and cost-effective option to increase the vitamin levels. As healthy diet would cost more than vitamin pills.

As a solution to this, Government should encourage to schools to maintain balanced diet. If children would learn to maintain the diet from a young age, it would be help in their future and they can habituated to it. Furthermore, People should go for walk and do some exercise at their home which make them more healthier. Not only healthy diet but exercise also play a vital role to remain fit.

To sum up, Although getting fast result and cost effective options for vitamins are the causes for increase the vitamin levels, maintaining healthy diet at early age and exercises can reduce the dependency of vitamin pills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for vitamin supplement use and suggesting solutions. However, the development of ideas is limited. For example, the claim that 'healthy diet would cost more than vitamin pills' is a significant over-generalisation that lacks supporting evidence or nuance. Furthermore, the response falls just short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the depth of the argument. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with specific examples or logical explanations rather than making broad assertions. The position is clear, but the overall development is somewhat superficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly inaccurate. For instance, the phrase 'That is the reason, Many people find the easy way' is awkward and lacks a smooth transition. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final sentence where 'the dependency of vitamin pills' is used instead of 'dependency on'. While there is a logical progression, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring they are used correctly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'healthy', 'good', and 'easy way'. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'prevent the pills' (instead of 'avoid taking pills') and 'habituated to it' (instead of 'accustomed to it'). To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to health and nutrition. The range is sufficient to communicate your meaning, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility needed for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally hinder readability. Common issues include incorrect article usage ('the schools', 'the diet'), subject-verb agreement errors ('Many Individuals spent', 'exercises can reduce'), and awkward phrasing ('encourage to schools'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with articles, verb tenses, and prepositions, to ensure your writing is more polished.

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.