Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Smoking can cause serious illnesses and should be made illegal.

To what extent do you agree?

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

Student answer (Band 6.0)

It is without a doubt " smoking is injurious to health". It can not only cause serious illness, but also, with extreme use, one can lose one's life, and it should be made illegal for the same objective.

There are many instances of smoking-related illnesses, the most major being cancer and brain fog. People don't gain anything from smoking; rather, they have a lot to lose: their health, family, social well-being, and even their lives.

Data show that people who are smokers are somewhat impacted in their day-to-day lives. They become addicted to a substance called nicotine, which is highly addictive after frequent use. They show signs of addiction, social withdrawal, hyperactivity, violence, and absent-mindedness. All of these impact their social well-being and their ability to function normally in both internal and external environments.

About 80% of active smokers started smoking to look cool in their school days or during their adulthood. They saw it as a factor to being accepted differently among their social groups. However, they slowly got addicted and cannot quit even when they are willing. Only about 20% of the smokers are able to quit with the proper and intense rehabilliation and thanks to government active effort to aware the impacts of smoking and their assistance in revealing ones addiction.

Smoking should strictly be made illegal, since it has adverse impact on younger population, Both-consumption and selling should be made strictly illegal to the public however, it should be regulated under strict supervision and prescription only for the medication purpose.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the opening: you agree that smoking should be illegal, and the conclusion adds a qualification for medically supervised use. You also address health effects, addiction, and the influence of social acceptance on starting to smoke. This covers the task and includes relevant supporting points. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others: the claims about “brain fog,” social withdrawal, and the percentages of smokers who start or quit are asserted without explanation or examples, so their relevance and reliability are unclear. The distinction between banning public consumption and sales, while allowing medical use, is useful but needs clearer explanation. To strengthen the response, develop fewer claims with specific reasoning or a relevant example, and explain how a ban would address the harms you identify.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable progression: it states a position, describes harms and addiction, discusses why people begin smoking, and ends with a policy recommendation. Paragraphing helps separate these stages, and links such as “However” and “since” show relationships between ideas. At times, though, the progression within paragraphs is less clear. The third paragraph moves from nicotine addiction to several behavioural effects without showing how each follows, while the final sentence combines a ban, public sales, and medical exceptions in a crowded structure. Some connections, such as “for the same objective,” are also unclear. Use topic sentences and make each paragraph develop one main point; clearer referencing and more precise transitions would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “nicotine,” “addicted,” “social withdrawal,” “adverse impact,” and “strict supervision.” These choices help communicate the main argument, and you attempt some less common expressions. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “the most major,” “a factor to being accepted differently,” “government active effort to aware,” and “revealing ones addiction.” There are also spelling and form issues, including “rehabilliation” and “ones.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding your position, but they reduce precision and fluency. Aim for natural combinations such as “the most serious effects,” “a way to gain acceptance,” and “government efforts to raise awareness,” and check spelling and possessive forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including “It can not only cause serious illness, but also…” and the contrast introduced by “however.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity and control. For example, “with extreme use, one can lose one's life” has an unclear reference, and “Smoking should strictly be made illegal, since it has adverse impact” needs an article before “adverse impact.” The final sentence has a comma splice and an unclear shift between “Both-consumption and selling” and “it.” Capitalisation after the comma in “population, Both-consumption” is also incorrect. Separate the final ideas into shorter sentences, check articles and agreement, and use punctuation to mark clause boundaries.

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