Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-07-27

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 6.5)

I totally agree that smoking is injurious to health and should be banned to be sold in the market as it can harm the lungs which can cause the person to have serious illness and it attracts the youth to itself when they watch someone smoking.

Nowadays, consumption of cigarettes is increasing significantly which is leading to serious medical problems such as cancer which is deadly to human respiratory system and can lead to death. For instance, one of my uncle used to smoke excessively for years then he started facing breathing problems and went to see a doctor, they took some tests and told them that he had stage 3 lung cancer and does not have much time to live because there is no cure for the cancer at this stage. After some time he died and his family is struggling after that incident as his family was dependent on him.

Moreover, when young generation watch someone doing something that they haven't tried before, they tend to perform that activity. Teenagers find it interesting and cool to smoke and try it by themselves, after that they get addicted to it. Any kind of drugs should be illegal to sell, instead more fitness centers should be made which will encourage everyone for their physical wellbeing.

In conclusion, cigarettes and other drugs should be banned to sell in the market to avoid the serious illnesses which are deadly to a human. Individuals should also have knowledge about it and avoid the smoking.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of banning cigarettes. The ideas are relevant, focusing on health risks and the influence on youth. However, the development is somewhat limited. The personal anecdote about an uncle is a good start, but the argument could be strengthened by discussing the broader societal or economic implications of a ban, rather than relying solely on personal experience. The conclusion is a bit brief and does not fully synthesize the points made. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph explores the 'extent' of your agreement with more depth and analytical detail.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. There is a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the transition 'Moreover' is used, but the overall flow between sentences could be smoother. Some referencing is slightly unclear, such as 'they took some tests and told them that he had...', where the pronoun 'them' does not clearly refer back to the doctor. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun reference would enhance the cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinion clearly. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'respiratory system' and 'addicted'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'banned to be sold in the market' (should be 'banned from sale') and 'attracts the youth to itself'. To improve, the writer should focus on more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to convey ideas with more sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'one of my uncle' (should be 'uncles'), 'does not have much time' (tense inconsistency), and 'avoid the smoking' (incorrect article usage). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences that lack proper clause separation. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate better control over subject-verb agreement, article usage, and sentence punctuation, while aiming for more error-free complex structures.

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