Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-04

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)

Highly processed food and drinks contain unhealthy levels of sugar, which can cause health problems not only for adults but also children. I strongly agree with the statement that products high in sugar should be more expensive to disencourage people from buying them.

To begin with, kids love to eat candies and anything that is sweet, which is not harmful as long as it is controlled by their parents. However, when the sugar levels are high not only in sweets but also other food and drinks it is hard to control children's diet, which can cause health problems especially when it comes to their weight and dental health. If the sugary products become more expensive, parents will put more attention into the food they buy. For example, instead of buying a box of candies, they will choose fruits, that are a healthier alternative.

Adults also consume huge amounts of sugar from the food that they buy. Highly processed food or carbonated drinks are full of sugar that causes harm to people's hearts, skin and metabolism systems. Adults are not controlled by anyone, like kids, so there is a higher chance of eating too much sugar, especially if those products are cheap. It is true that sugar can give us energy, but in high amounts it is the biggest reason people get obese. Making the price of sugary products will stop a lot of people from buying them, simply to save money. If chocolate was more expensive than healthy energy bars made with less sugar, people's choices would change.

To conclude, I think rising the prices of high-sugar products is a good idea to promote healthy lifestyle, counteract obesity, heart and dental issues. Maybe it would not stop everyone but small change is still a change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction—“I strongly agree”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address the health effects of sugar and explain how higher prices might influence both parents’ purchases and adults’ choices. The examples of choosing fruit instead of sweets and selecting a less sugary energy bar help make the argument relevant. This is a well-focused response with ideas extended and supported. To strengthen it further, develop the central claim about price more precisely: explain why increased costs are likely to change consumption, and acknowledge that affordability may affect families differently or that some people may continue buying sugary products. The final qualification that the change “would not stop everyone” is useful but could be explored more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear four-paragraph structure, moving from the position to children, then adults, and finally a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “Adults also,” and “To conclude” make the stages of the argument clear. Examples are generally placed alongside the points they support. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and several sentences rely on repeated references to “sugar” and “products.” The transition from children’s health to parents’ purchasing decisions could be made more explicit, while the adult paragraph would benefit from clearer links between health risks, price, and the proposed change in behaviour. More varied referencing and transitions would make the cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “processed,” “carbonated drinks,” “dental health,” “obese,” and “healthier alternative,” so the main ideas are communicated clearly. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “metabolism systems,” although this is not a natural collocation; “metabolic health” would be more idiomatic. Other choices are imprecise or awkward, including “disencourage,” “rising the prices,” and “small change is still a change.” Repetition of “sugar,” “products,” and “people” also limits flexibility. Aim to use more precise collocations for health effects and pricing, and check word forms and spelling. These improvements would make the vocabulary more natural and accurate while preserving the clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including subordinate clauses with “which,” “as long as,” and “especially if,” and most sentences remain understandable. Some sentence patterns are handled well, such as “Adults are not controlled by anyone, like kids, so there is a higher chance…” However, errors and awkward constructions persist. In “when the sugar levels are high not only in sweets but also other food and drinks,” the parallel structure needs “but also in other foods and drinks.” “If the sugary products become more expensive” would be more natural as “If sugary products became more expensive” in this hypothetical argument. The sentence “Making the price of sugary products will stop…” also needs a grammatical construction such as “Raising the price…” Review articles, plurals, and sentence punctuation to improve accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.