Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-26

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 8.0)

The implementation of specialized health taxes to artificially increase the retail price of sugar-laden food and beverages is an increasingly prominent strategy in global public health policy. I completely agree with this approach, as economic deterrence is highly effective at shifting consumer habits, forcing manufacturers to reformulate their recipes, and generating vital revenue to treat the very health crises driven by industrial sugar consumption.

The primary argument for raising the cost of sugary goods lies in the proven mechanics of price elasticity. When governments impose a specialized health tax on commodities like soft drinks or processed snacks, the financial burden is passed directly to the consumer at the checkout counter. This immediate increase in price acts as a psychological and financial deterrent, particularly for price-sensitive demographics such as youth and low-income families, who statistically consume the highest volumes of junk food. Real-world implementation supports this logic; following the introduction of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in the United Kingdom, research indicated a significant and sustained drop in the purchasing of high-sugar beverages, proving that financial penalties are directly correlated with reduced calorie intake.

Furthermore, an elevated pricing strategy serves a dual purpose by driving structural change on both the corporate and systemic levels. On the corporate side, when faced with dwindling sales due to higher prices, food and beverage conglomerates are strongly incentivized to reformulate their products. Rather than absorbing financial losses, manufacturers are pressured to reduce sugar levels below taxable thresholds or transition toward healthier ingredients, thereby sanitizing the wider food ecosystem. On a systemic level, the tax revenue generated from these items can be explicitly earmarked by governments to fund public healthcare systems, subsidize organic produce, or underwrite physical education programs in schools. The World Health Organization actively endorses this fiscal strategy, noting that such taxation not only curbs consumption but also mobilizes resources needed to achieve universal health coverage.

In conclusion, artificially raising the price of manufactured products containing excessive sugar is an entirely justifiable and pragmatic intervention. By leveraging economic pressure, societies can successfully curb public demand, incentivize corporate responsibility, and establish a self-sustaining cycle that actively combats chronic lifestyle illnesses like obesity and type-2 diabetes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 8.0

The response fully addresses all parts of the task with a well-developed and clear position throughout. The student completely agrees with the prompt and supports this view with compelling, logical arguments concerning consumer habits, economic price elasticity, corporate reformulation, and government revenue generation. Ideas are extended effectively, such as referencing the real-world 'Soft Drinks Industry Levy in the United Kingdom' to substantiate claims. The position is consistently maintained from the introduction through to a robust conclusion, meeting the Band 8 criteria comprehensively by addressing all aspects of the task very well and supporting them with pertinent examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 8.0

The response is logically sequenced, with a clear progression of ideas from the introduction, through distinct body paragraphs focusing on economic and systemic impacts, to a concise concluding summary. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each body paragraph starting with a clear topic sentence. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Rather than', and 'On a systemic level' are managed well to guide the reader smoothly through the argument without being obtrusive. Referencing and substitution are handled adeptly, ensuring seamless transitions between sentences and paragraphs, thereby comfortably satisfying the Band 8 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 8.0

The student demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible lexical resource suitable for an academic task. Less common and sophisticated vocabulary items are employed skillfully throughout the text, including phrases like 'economic deterrence', 'price-sensitive demographics', 'reformulate their recipes', and 'taxable thresholds'. Word choice and collocations are generally accurate and natural, showing a high level of control over register and style. Although there are occasional minor slips, the overall range allows for precise expression of complex ideas, aligning closely with the Band 8 standard for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 8.0

The essay displays a wide range of complex grammatical structures used with a high degree of flexibility and accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, featuring sophisticated subordinate clauses, participial phrases, and conditional structures such as 'When governments impose a specialized health tax...' and 'Rather than absorbing financial losses, manufacturers are pressured...'. Punctuation and sentence boundaries are handled with precision. Only very occasional minor slips occur, but these never impede communication or detract from the overall high quality of grammatical control, easily warranting a Band 8 score.

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