Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-16

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)

Products containing high levels of sugar are very dangerous for our health. Some people believe that increasing the price of sugary products may discourage people from consuming them. In this essay i will discuss the reasons due to which I disagree with this opinion.

Blindly increasing the price of things would never help us solve this problem, instead it may make it even worse. As we have seen in other cases, when something becomes a luxury, common people are more inclined to do it to show it off to others. For example, we can see that the popularity of overpriced handbags has only increases as time has passed. If something becomes a symbol of wealth, common people will be more inclined to own it for self gratification. If the prices of sugary products increase, companies may use it to their advantage by advertising their products as something only wealthy people consume. As a result some people might become willing to pay extra just to ruin their life.

Another important thing to consider is that sugary products, especially sugary drinks are very addictive. If someone is already addicted to them, it may be very difficult for him to let go it. Making it more expensive would make their lives more difficult, as they would now be able to spend less money on other important things like college tuition and healthcare just to satisfy their cravings.

To conclude, i think that increasing the price of sugary products would be a blunder. It will not only make them more popular and make people waste their money on unhealthy products. Instead the goverment should promote products that contain alternates for sugar and do not have any negative impact on out health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you disagree with making sugary products more expensive. Both body paragraphs give relevant reasons, including the possibility that higher prices could make products seem prestigious and the difficulty of changing an established addiction. The handbag comparison and the effect on spending for tuition or healthcare help illustrate these points. This meets the task well, but the support is uneven: the claim that companies would market sugary products as a status symbol is speculative and would benefit from clearer explanation or evidence. The addiction argument also focuses on financial hardship rather than showing how pricing would affect consumption. Develop these links more fully and address the opposing view before explaining why your position is stronger.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion. The progression from the status-symbol argument to addiction is easy to follow, and phrases such as “For example” and “Another important thing to consider” signal the direction of the discussion. However, some connections are mechanical or not fully clear. “As a result” introduces the claim that people may pay extra, but the link from advertising to this outcome needs more explanation. The conclusion also repeats the position without bringing the two arguments together, and “It will not only make them more popular and make people waste their money” is an incomplete not-only construction. Use clearer links between claims and evidence, and make the final paragraph synthesise your reasoning.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the issue, including “discourage,” “addicted,” “symbol of wealth,” and “satisfy their cravings.” These choices make your position understandable and show some willingness to use topic-related language. At times, however, word choice and collocation are imprecise or informal: “do it to show it off” has an unclear reference, “ruin their life” is an exaggerated expression, and “alternates for sugar” is not the natural phrase for substitutes. There are also spelling errors such as “goverment” and “self gratification.” Aim for more precise academic phrasing and check spelling and word forms; this would make the argument sound more controlled without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including conditional sentences (“If the prices … increase, companies may use it…”) and a subordinate clause beginning “when something becomes a luxury.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the popularity … has only increases” has an incorrect verb form, while “let go it” has an incorrect word order and “for him” does not agree with the general reference to “someone.” The final sentence, “It will not only make them more popular and make people waste their money,” also lacks the matching second part of the not-only structure. Review verb forms, pronoun reference, and parallel sentence patterns, and proofread capitalisation of “I.”

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