Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-07-30

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 7.5)

Smoking is the most common addiction in our world. Some people smoke cigars while others resort to cigarettes. Basically, consuming nicotine in any form is extremely injurious to health. This also puts a lot of strain on the health infrastructure in any country. Thus, in my opinion, it should be banned by all governments across the globe.

The major content of a cigarette or cigar is nicotine. This gets deposited in our lungs and is responsible for causing the worst respiratory illnesses. Also, smoking is the most important risk factor in the natural history of many cancers. The common examples are lung, larynx and gastric cancers. Additionally, early occurrence of non-communicable diseases like strokes, heart attacks and hypertension can be attributed to this addiction.

Secondly, the price of hospitalization due to the above-mentioned illnesses has to be borne by either the state or the person's immediate family. For instance, the cost of one cycle of chemotherapy needed to treat a patient with lung cancer may go up to one lakh Indian rupees. Eventually, financial strain increases due to the treatment protocols which may include medicines, radiation or surgery. Thirdly, smokers can put other people at risk because of the hazards of inhalation of passive smoke.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that this addiction harms the smoker himself as well as the surroundings. Hence, governments should pass laws in order to regularise the use of such nicotine-based substances. Also, wherever possible, it should be declared illegal. It is really important for the legislators to create awareness and start support groups that will help the people who have fallen prey to this habit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

You have clearly addressed all parts of the task by taking a firm position and supporting it with relevant arguments regarding health risks and economic strain. Your ideas are well-developed, particularly the point about the financial burden on the state and families. To reach a higher band, ensure your conclusion directly mirrors your introduction's strength; you mention 'regularise' and 'wherever possible' in the conclusion, which slightly weakens the 'should be made illegal' stance you established earlier. Overall, the response is focused and maintains a consistent position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. You use paragraphing effectively to separate the health arguments from the economic and social ones. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Secondly', and 'Hence' are used to guide the reader through your argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the relationship between sentences is always explicit. For example, the transition between the health risks and the financial burden could be smoother to better connect the two distinct points.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using terms like 'resort to', 'injurious', 'respiratory illnesses', and 'non-communicable diseases' appropriately. There is a clear attempt to use topic-specific language, which adds precision to your arguments. While the vocabulary is sufficient and generally accurate, it lacks the 'less common' or 'idiomatic' flair required for the highest bands. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and nuanced synonyms to express your ideas with greater stylistic flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and your grammar is generally accurate. Most sentences are error-free, and your punctuation is handled well. There are minor areas for improvement, such as the phrasing 'the natural history of many cancers', which is slightly awkward in this context. You also have a good grasp of complex structures, such as the conditional-like structure in your conclusion. To reach a higher band, continue to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical forms while maintaining this level of accuracy.

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