Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-16

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 6.5)

In the contemporary world, as the rate of consumption of manufactured and processed foods high in sugar is rapidly rising, this is resulting in numerous health problems. Hence, many people believe that products containing sugar should be made more expensive to reduce sugar consumption. I partly agree with this statement because raising the price of sugar will ensure people shift to healthier alternatives. Meanwhile, it will make sugar products unaffordable for low-income families.

On the one hand, making sugar products more expensive will ensure that manufacturers will be deprived of using sugar in their products. Moreover, people will shift to cheaper option which will not contain sugar. The manufacturers will be forced to make their products sugar-free or face a loss in their business. For instance, if the government made Coca-Cola relatively expensive, people may drink other healthy options like fruit juice.

On the other hand, sugar in small quantities is beneficial for the human body. It ensures we get proper glucose that can only be obtained through sugar. Poor families will be affected by this rapid hike in sugar products since they are likely to be unable to afford sugar even in small quantities. To illustrate, richer families will be able to buy sugar products, although in small amounts, whereas poor ones will be completely denied the ability to acquire sugar products.

To conclude, I believe that hiking the price of sugar products will definitely encourage the public to eat healthy alternatives. However, it also means the socially backward families will not be able to afford these products even in small quantities. Ultimately, I believe that a viable solution to this problem will be to ensure a healthy amount of sugar in products is allowed, but if the limited amount is crossed, then proper action should be taken immediately.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout. You have presented a balanced view, acknowledging both the health benefits of the proposed tax and the potential socio-economic drawbacks. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, although the argument regarding manufacturers being 'deprived of using sugar' is slightly underdeveloped and could have been explained with more nuance regarding reformulation. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the prompt, demonstrating a clear understanding of the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude' effectively to link your points. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more varied to improve the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure supports the development of your argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'contemporary world', 'healthier alternatives', and 'unaffordable' are used correctly. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'socially backward families', which is not a standard collocation in this context. While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited, and there is occasional repetition of words like 'sugar' and 'products'. Expanding your range of synonyms would help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, which ensures that communication is never impeded. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'people will shift to cheaper option' (should be 'cheaper options') and 'if the limited amount is crossed' (should be 'exceeded'). Punctuation is generally accurate. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as conditional clauses or passive voice, with greater consistency.

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

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