Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-18

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)

Smoking is one of the main problem of every country. The majority of the individuals believe that is a great idea to stop smoking to make a law that smoking is prohibited in public areas, while others think it is not enough government suppose to take other necessary steps such as, if people not follow this rule they will be charged under high penalties. However, I will discuss both views and I personally believe that latter viewpoint is more logical and I will explain it briefly in the following paragraph with relevant examples.

To commence with, nowadays, the use of smoking continuously rise, and it is one of the serious problem that people face mostly in the public areas. Moreover, in public areas like, parks, playgrounds, bus stops, parking, and on people smoke a lot that is not good for other people health. For example, a study shown that the person who live or stand near the smoker put their life more in danger because the person who use cigarettes suffer from many diseases but their smoke also cause other individuals. Furthermore, mostly, in public places governments post banners in which they mentioned smoking is illegal in crowded areas but nobody follow these rules and regulations.

On the other side, people who think necessary steps need to be taken because they know the harsh reality of the society and they know people do not follow rules that is the reason they think government need to make new rules to stop these unnecessary activities. Additionally, authorities need to take action if they need something smoking in the public areas such as imprisonment and high penalties. In this way people are afraid to smoke in public areas, other people safety breathe in fresh air.

In conclusion, smoking in public areas always an issue, but by making strict rules helps us to solve this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that banning smoking in public is not enough, the supporting arguments are repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the suggestion of 'imprisonment' for smoking in public is an extreme and somewhat unrealistic example that lacks logical support. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a well-reasoned argument with a clear example that directly supports the topic sentence, rather than just restating the problem.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices like 'To commence with', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other side'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'if they need something smoking in the public areas', which makes the sentence difficult to follow. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will help the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'the use of smoking continuously rise' instead of 'the prevalence of smoking continues to rise' and 'safety breathe in fresh air' instead of 'breathe fresh air safely'. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle with collocations. To reach a higher band, focus on using more academic vocabulary and ensuring that words are used in their correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the essay that occasionally impede communication. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('a study shown' instead of 'a study has shown'), missing articles ('the person who live' instead of 'people who live'), and awkward sentence structures ('government suppose to take' instead of 'the government should take'). While you attempt some complex sentences, they are often marred by errors. You need to focus on basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and the correct use of articles to improve your accuracy.

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

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