Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-07

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that the best way to discourage smoking is to make smoking illegal in public places. Other people say that this is not enough and that other measures are needed.

Discuss both these views, and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Some individuals think that banning smoke in public areas can reduce the number of smokers, while others believe that only this way is not enough and many more steps should be taken.

On the one hand, to make smoking illegal in public areas such as in restaurants, parks and shopping malls protects the public and make it less convenient. As a result, some smokers try to less smoke or decide to quit it. Moreover, children and teenagers are less likely to view the people smoke in public areas make them understand that it is an unacceptable habit.

On the other hand, just banning the smoking on public places is not the solution, other actions are also needed.

Government should apply more taxes on tobacco and other supplements of smoking and the price for these should be increased. Thus, the young children who started to smoke can discourage. Furthermore, running public awareness campaigns and free programs for the people who want to quit should be encouraged. Apart from that, education about the drawbacks of smoking can help smokers to quit it who are nicotine addict.

In my opinion, bans on smoking in public places can reduce the smokers for short period of time, but for the long - term reductions, require education and access to quitting support is neccessary.

In conclusion, bans on smking in public areas is a good option to discourage it but to increase thge prices of ciggratte and tobacco, required education and running the awareness programs can also be benefitted.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of taxes and public awareness campaigns. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding children and teenagers is a bit underdeveloped and could benefit from more specific reasoning. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and lacks a strong summary of the main points. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the task but lacks the depth and extension required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences is slightly disjointed. For example, the sentence 'Thus, the young children who started to smoke can discourage' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the logical progression of the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved for better flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'nicotine addict', 'public awareness campaigns', and 'tobacco'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'smking', 'thge', 'ciggratte', and 'neccessary', which are distracting. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and the word choice is occasionally imprecise, such as 'supplements of smoking' instead of 'tobacco products'. To reach a higher band, the writer should focus on accuracy and expanding their range of collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Examples include 'make smoking illegal... protects the public and make it less convenient' (subject-verb agreement), 'try to less smoke' (incorrect word order), and 'bans on smking... is a good option' (subject-verb agreement). These errors occur throughout the text. While the writer attempts complex structures, the control over them is inconsistent, which limits the score in this criterion.

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

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