Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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)

Nowadays, doctors say that people can get all the viatmins they need from healthy food. While many people still spend money on vitamins pills. This essay will explain why they do this.

Firstly, some people buy vitamins pills because they want to stay healthy and protect themselves ftom diseases. For example : some people who work long hours buy vitamins pills because they do not have enough time to prepare healthy meals. Therefore, they believe that these pills can help them to stay healthy and have more energy.

Secondly, people could be persuaded to improve their diet through education and public health campaigns. The government should teach people about the benefits of eating healthy food. In addition, fruits and vegetables should be cheaper so that everyone can take them. For example: schools and hospitals could orgnise campaigns to explain the importance of eating fruits, vegetables, fish and eggs instead of spending money on vitamins pills.

In conclusion, people spend money on vitamins pills because they want to stay healthy. However, the government should encourage them to eat healthy food by providing information and making fruits and vegetables more affordable

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions and give a relevant explanation: some people buy supplements because they want to avoid illness and lack time to prepare meals. You also suggest education, public campaigns and lower prices for fruit and vegetables. However, these points are brief and not fully developed; for instance, you do not explain why people trust pills or how campaigns could change their behaviour. The conclusion repeats the main points rather than adding support. The response is 189 words, below the required 250, so there is limited space to explain and illustrate your ideas. Develop each main point with a reason and a specific example to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, two body paragraphs addressing the questions, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” help the reader follow the argument. The main limitation is that progression within paragraphs is quite mechanical, and some links between ideas are not fully explained. For example, the claim that fruit and vegetables should be cheaper is followed by a campaign example, but the connection between affordability and campaigns could be clearer. The opening sentence beginning “While” is also left as a fragment, which interrupts the flow. Use complete sentences and develop clearer links between each claim, explanation and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “healthy food,” “public health campaigns,” “benefits,” and “affordable.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, especially “vitamins pills” and “healthy.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “viatmins,” “ftom,” and “orgnise,” and some word combinations are unnatural, such as “take” fruit and vegetables. These do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall message, but they reduce precision. Aim to use more varied, accurate expressions for supplements, nutritious foods and health promotion, and proofread spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use mostly straightforward sentence patterns and attempt some longer structures, such as “because they want to stay healthy” and “so that everyone can take them.” Meaning is generally clear, but the range is limited and some errors affect sentence control. The opening “While many people still spend money on vitamins pills” is a dependent clause without a main clause. In “fruits and vegetables should be cheaper so that everyone can take them,” the pronoun reference is unclear, and the final sentence would be more accurate with “by providing information and making fruit and vegetables more affordable” as parallel actions. Practise combining clauses into complete sentences and check pronoun reference and parallel structure.

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