Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-15

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 7.0)

In today's contemporary society, the consumption of food and drinks containing a high concentration of sugar has become increasingly popular. Some people believe it may lead to various health problems and should be reduced by increasing the prices of those products, while others believe it can be controlled by proper counselling and awareness from healthcare professionals.

One of the main advantages of introducing taxation is that it would be less affordable for low and middle-income families. Consequently, the consumption patterns would be lowered among half the population. In addition, the intake of food and drinks containing refined sugar is high due to a fast-paced lifestyle as people get less time to prepare proper healthy meals, resultantly, their trend towards fast food increases. By imposing taxes, people would automatically choose healthy alternatives.

On the other hand, proper awareness has a significant role to play. By this, I mean governments can conduct seminars and morning shows by inviting healthcare professionals and requiring them to spread awareness among people. This would be quite beneficial because people tend to be influenced by the well-educated personalities and would change the way people think. Secondly, governments can reduce the prices of healthy and organic products. This would not only reduce the intake of food among people but also shift people's interest towards healthy options.

In my opinion, although taxation can lessen the consumption of products containing a high amount of carbs, I believe a balanced approach should be considered by imposing taxes and raising awareness among people.

All things considered, imposing taxes can be beneficial in lowering the intake of food having high sugar, while its combination with proper counselling would produce a more productive outcome.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position and discussing both sides of the issue (taxation versus awareness and dietary alternatives). The position is maintained throughout the response, including the conclusion. Main ideas are extended and supported, such as explaining how taxation affects low and middle-income families and how public awareness campaigns influence consumer behaviour. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise or under-develop certain points, such as the claim that people would automatically choose healthy alternatives without elaborating on accessibility or price differentials. Nevertheless, the requirements for Band 7 are fully met as all parts of the prompt are addressed with a clear overall position and relevant, supported ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The response exhibits a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introductory paraphrase and alternative view to the body paragraphs discussing taxation and awareness, culminating in a balanced opinion and summary. Cohesive devices such as 'One of the main advantages', 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'Secondly' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, and referencing is clear. While some transitions feel slightly formulaic, cohesion is well managed, supporting a solid Band 7 rating.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, demonstrating awareness of topic-related terminology such as 'contemporary society', 'high concentration of sugar', 'consumption patterns', 'fast-paced lifestyle', and 'organic products'. Less common lexical items are attempted, including 'refined sugar', 'imposing taxes', and 'counselling'. There are occasional inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, such as 'trend towards fast food increases' and 'intake of food', which prevent the response from achieving a higher band. However, spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and communication is never impeded, fitting the Band 6.5 to 7 profile well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional-like constructions (e.g., 'By imposing taxes, people would automatically choose healthy alternatives'). There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside a few minor grammatical lapses, such as 'the way people think' being slightly repetitive or awkward regarding 'well-educated personalities' influencing citizens. Punctuation is generally accurate, and errors in grammar do not impede communication. The variety of complex structures and good overall control place this submission comfortably within the Band 7 range.

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