Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Many manufactured food and drink products contain high levels of sugar, which causes many health problems. Sugary products should be made more expensive to encourage people to consume less sugar.

Do you agree or disagree?

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

Student answer (Band 6.0)

I strongly agree the surgary foods and drinks should be

made more expensive to encourage people to consume

less sugar. Although individuals are responsible for their own diets, governments can use taxation to reduce the health problems associated with expensive sugar

consumption.

First of all, higher prices can discourage people from buying unhealthy products regularly. Many consumers,

particularly young people , purchase sugary drinks, sweets

and snacks because they are cheap and easily available.

If these products become more expensive, people may choose healthier alternatives such as fruits, vegetables

unsweetened drinks. For example, a tax or sugary beverages could encourage consumers to drink more water instead of soft drinks.

Another important reason is that excessive sugar

consumption can lead to serious health problems. Eating to much sugar increases the risk of obesity, tooth

decay and type 2 diabetes. these conditions can place a significant financial burden on healthcare systems.

Therefore ,increasing the price sugary products could

not only improve peoples health but also reduce healthcare costs in the long term.

However, I believe that taxation alone is not enough.

Governments should also educate the public about the

dangers of consuming excessive amounts of sugar and

encourage food manufacturers to produce healthier

alternatives. The money collected from sugar taxes could could be invested in health education and public

fitness programmes.

In conclusion, I agree that sugary products should be

more expensive because this can reduce consumption

and improve public health. Nevertheless, taxation should be combined with education and other measures to achieve the best results.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have clearly addressed all parts of the prompt, maintaining a consistent position throughout the essay. Your ideas are relevant and well-supported, particularly in the second and third paragraphs where you link the tax proposal to both consumer behavior and the broader economic impact on healthcare systems. The inclusion of a counter-argument and a nuanced conclusion adds depth to your response. To reach a higher band, ensure that your examples are slightly more detailed; for instance, you could briefly mention a specific country that has successfully implemented a sugar tax to provide more concrete evidence for your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Another important reason', and 'In conclusion' effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate your main arguments from your counter-argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Overall, the structure is clear, and the relationship between ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'financial burden', 'healthcare systems', and 'alternatives' correctly. There are some minor spelling errors, such as 'surgary' instead of 'sugary' and 'peoples' instead of 'people's'. While you successfully convey your meaning, the vocabulary is somewhat functional. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common academic vocabulary to demonstrate a wider range. For example, instead of 'cheap', you could use 'affordable' or 'economically accessible'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. Most of your sentences are clear and grammatically sound. However, there are a few errors, such as 'Eating to much sugar' (should be 'too') and 'tax or sugary beverages' (should be 'on'). Additionally, there is a minor punctuation error in 'Therefore ,increasing'. While these errors are present, they do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, focus on eliminating these small slips and aim for a greater variety of complex grammatical structures, such as conditional clauses or passive voice constructions.

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

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