Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some areas of the US, a 'curfew' is imposed, in which teenagers are not allowed to be out of doors after a particular time at night unless they are accompanied by an adult.

What is your opinion about this?

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

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, crime rates and safety issues are increasing around the world. To control them, in some areas of the U.S., a 'curfew' is imposed, in which teenagers are not allowed to be outdoors after a particular time at night unless they are accompanied by an adult.

The curfew is imposed at night, especially for teenagers who are not allowed to go out by themselves because the U.S. government has concerns about their safety. As we see daily on social media and news channels, incidents happen at night, and most cases involve teenagers. During reproductive age, children want to go out for enjoyment, as they go to clubs, drink alcohol, and do drugs. As a consequence, sometimes getting high on drugs and getting drunk can cause trouble for them. For instance, last week I saw news on social media that a 19-year-old boy killed his friend after a fight between them at a party at the club because they were both

drunk.

However, after concerns about the safety of teenagers, including other members of society, the government should need to take some steps, so they decided to impose a curfew during nighttime in the U.S. and made a rule that teenagers are not allowed to come outside alone at night unless they have an adult with them, so that if anything could happen, the situation will be handled naturally.

In conclusion, safety is important for all people, especially for teenagers, so the government should take some steps to reduce crime rates in their country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the task only partially and falls below the word count requirement. Please note that 25 words copied directly from the task prompt were not counted, leaving the student's own writing at 228 words, which is 22 words short of the 250-word minimum. Regarding the content, the writer attempts to present an opinion on curfews for teenagers, but the position is not always clearly sustained throughout. Ideas are limited and under-developed; for example, the mention of 'reproductive age' is irrelevant and confusing in the context of teen curfews. While the student attempts to provide an example about a 19-year-old boy, the overall development lacks depth and fails to fully explore both sides of the issue or maintain a clear, well-supported argument.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some basic organisation with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but the essay lacks a clear overall progression. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow between sentences is frequently disrupted. Cohesive devices are sometimes inadequate, inaccurate, or repetitive, such as the overuse of transitional phrases like 'As a consequence' and 'However'. Referencing can also be unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the train of thought smoothly. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to ensure a more natural and logical progression of ideas with more precise and varied cohesive links between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary suitable for expressing basic ideas. There are noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices that may cause some difficulty for the reader, such as using 'reproductive age' instead of adolescence or youth, and phrasing like 'come outside alone'. Spelling and word-form control are generally acceptable for this level, but attempts at less common vocabulary often result in unnatural collocations. To achieve a higher score, the student should expand their range of functional academic vocabulary and learn standard collocations related to social issues and law enforcement.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on straightforward constructions. When the writer attempts more complex sentences, they are often faulty, featuring cumbersome clauses and run-on sentences, such as the long sentence beginning with 'However, after concerns about the safety...'. There are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, prepositions within patterns, and punctuation—for instance, 'the government should need to take' and 'if anything could happen, the situation will be handled'. These errors require the reader to occasionally expend effort to decipher the intended meaning. Developing better control over complex sentence patterns and reducing basic errors will improve this score.

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.