Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-30

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)

Most manufactured food and drink products contain high level of sugar, which can cause serious health disease such as obesity, diabetes and heart problems. Some people argue that making these products more expensive is unfair to consumers, while others believe that higher prices can discourage excessive sugar consumption. I strongly agree with the latter view because this policy can encourage healthier choices and generate revenue for public health intiatives.

On the one hand, increasing the price of sugary items could place an additional financial burden on consumers. This may effect on low-income families, who may have limited choices when purchasing affordable foods and drinks. In addition, simply making sugary products more expensive may not change the eating habitds of individuals, as some consumers may buy them despite the higher prices. For example, a person who regularly drinks several bottles of soft drinks each day may continue purhasing even after a price increase. Therefore, although higher prices may be financially inconvenient for several people, I do not believe that this is sufficient reason to reject the policy because its potential public health benefits are greater.

On the other hand, I agree that increasing the price of sugary products can be an effective way to reduce excessive consumption of sugar. When unhealtheir food is expensive, consumers may be encouraged to purchase healtheir products such as water, milk and fresh fruit. This can gradually reduce people's sugar intake and lower the risk of health issues. Furthermore, governments can use the additional tax revenue to improve healthcare services and fund nutrition-awareness campaigns. For instance, revenue from sugar tax could be used to educate children about healthy eating and support programmes that promote healthier lifestyle.Therefore, this policy can benefit both individuals and society as whole.

In conclusion, although making sugary products expensive may place additional monetary burden on some consumers and may not completely change everyone's eating habits, I believe the policy is justified. Higher prices can discourage excessive sugar consumption, improve public health and provide government an extra revenue for healthcare and health-educational programmes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position agreeing with the proposal to make sugary products more expensive. The writer's ideas are well-developed throughout the essay. In the introduction, a clear stance is established, and the body paragraphs effectively explore both sides of the issue—acknowledging potential financial burdens and habitual consumption before robustly defending the public health benefits and government revenue potentials. Examples such as referencing individuals consuming multiple bottles of soft drinks and funding nutrition-awareness campaigns add depth. The arguments are sustained logically and all prompt requirements are thoroughly satisfied, matching the criteria for a Band 7.5 or Band 8.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, starting with a comprehensive introduction, balanced body paragraphs using clear signposting such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand', and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, though there are minor mechanical instances, such as the missing space before 'Therefore' in the third body paragraph. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, guiding the reader smoothly from one idea to the next. Referencing and substitution are handled competently, supporting an overall coherent structure aligned with Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer uses an adequate and generally sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'financial burden', 'excessive consumption', 'public health initiatives', and 'tax revenue'. However, there are a few noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'intiatives' instead of 'initiatives', 'effect on' instead of 'affect', 'habitds' instead of 'habits', and 'purhasing' instead of 'purchasing'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, communication is never impeded, and the lexical range is flexible enough to allow for precise expression of ideas, fitting the Band 6.5 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over subordination and relative clauses, such as in 'Most manufactured food and drink products contain high level of sugar, which can cause serious health disease...'. There are several instances of good control over grammar and punctuation; however, a few minor errors persist, such as plural/singular agreement ('high level of sugar', 'serious health disease', 'government an extra revenue') and missing articles ('as whole' instead of 'as a whole'). These errors rarely impede communication and the majority of sentences are constructed successfully, warranting a Band 6.5.

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