Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-17

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 a negative trend that has adverse effects on human health. There is an ongoing debate whether this practice should be prohibited in public places or rather other solutions are needed. While prohibition of smoking in public places could curb it to an extent, other measures can be taken. I am strongly of the opinion that placing a total ban on smoking can be very effective.

The Government passing a law on prohibiting smoking in a densely populated could become impactful. Majority of smokers want to have the freedom of smoking outside the comfort of their homes, but once the will power is taken from them they might slowly deviate from the habit. For instance, a person that goes to a leisure park to smokewould be denied the pleasure of lighting a cigarette but denied by security operatives could help slow down the addiction. Total denial for not having the priviledge to smoke in dense places could withdraw addictions.

Strict measures such as a general restriction on smoking should be taken into consideration. If the government restricts smoking then people would have no choice than to stop smoking because it would become a punishable offence. Both adults and children alike would be sensitized on the law regarding the act and this would make them wary of smoking. This can become a very important suggestion regarding the problem it causes.

To sum up, Even tho the ban of smoking in populated places could manage the societal menace, I still believe that it can be curtailed when necessary policies and actions are put in place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both views on how to discourage smoking and clearly states the writer's opinion that a total public ban is very effective. Ideas are presented, such as the impact of government legislation and psychological deterrence, though some explanations become slightly repetitive or under-developed, particularly in the second and third body paragraphs where the same points about restriction and deterrence are revisited. Furthermore, there are minor confusions in expression, such as 'smokewould be denied the pleasure... but denied by security operatives'. While the main task requirements are met with a clear position throughout, the depth of idea extension corresponds more closely to Band 6 descriptors, as some arguments lack broader contextual support or clear progression.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion is occasionally faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition in the conclusion 'To sum up, Even tho the ban of smoking...' contains capitalization and punctuation issues, and conjunctions connecting clauses are sometimes strained. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in 'regarding the problem it causes', where the antecedent is vague. Transitional phrases are somewhat limited and repetitive, which prevents a higher band score. Overall, the logical progression is evident, but the management of cohesive devices aligns with Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'prohibited', 'addiction', 'densely populated', and 'sensitized'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice inaccuracies, such as 'priviledge' (privilege), 'tho' (though), and awkward phrasing like 'the will power is taken from them' and 'withdraw addictions'. Less common lexical items are attempted but not always used with natural collocation or precision. Because these errors are noticeable but do not impede the overall communication of the message, the writing fits comfortably into Band 6 for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as conditional sentences ('If the government restricts smoking then people would have no choice...') and concessive clauses ('While prohibition of smoking...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as missing articles ('in a densely populated [area]'), awkward prepositional use ('denied by security operatives'), and run-on structures or capitalization errors in the conclusion. While these errors do not impede overall understanding, they occur consistently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 7, where frequent error-free sentences and higher accuracy control are required.

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

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