Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-09

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)

Diseases caused by smoking has become a widely debatable issue these days. Smoking is a bad habit and it is linked with many irreversible life-threatening diseases. Medical science still has not discovered the diagnoses of these fatal diseases. I firmly believe that smoking should be made illegal and offenders should pay a heavy price for breaking the rules.

To start with, smoking not only affects the people who are smoking, but it also affect those who are inhaling the second hand smoke caused by smoking and the process is known as passive smoking. This is because tabacco products are mixed with harmful chemicals which are released in the environment at the time of smoking and can affect nearby non-smoker. In addition to that, the smoke caused by products are extremely dangerous for children. A study shows that smoke caused by the tabacco products can cause serious health issues to new born babies and pregnant women. Therefore, smoking should be banned and made illegal.

Moreover, the majority of the deaths through out the world are caused by lung cancer. There are numerous studies which clearly establish strong links between lung cancer and smoking. A survey shows that number of deaths caused by smoking is increasing year by year and the government should take strict steps to improve the situation. Also, smoking affects the fertility rate in men and women by causing serious reproductive illness. The main ingredient in smoking product is nicotine which cause mental problems and severe addictions which affects especially the youth of the world. Hence, smoking should be avoided and made illegal.

To conclude, I strictly believe that smoking causes serious irreversible illness whose diagnoses are still not discovered and it should be banned. It affects everyone from a baby to an adult. It has adverse affects on unborn children and cause permanent illness. The number of deaths by smoking is increasing over the years and nicotine which is a major component in smoking causes permanent mental issues like dementia.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt clearly, maintaining a consistent position throughout that smoking should be illegal. The ideas are relevant, focusing on health impacts and the dangers of passive smoking. However, the development is somewhat repetitive; for example, the mention of 'irreversible illness' and 'deaths' appears in both the introduction and conclusion without significant new depth. While the argument is clear, it lacks a counter-argument or a more nuanced exploration of the practical implications of a total ban, which would be necessary for a higher band score. The ideas are supported, but the supporting evidence is general rather than specific.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'To start with', 'In addition to that', and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though some transitions between sentences feel slightly abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. To improve, you should aim for a more varied range of linking words and ensure that the flow between sentences is smoother and less formulaic.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'irreversible', 'passive smoking', and 'reproductive illness'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'diagnoses of these fatal diseases' (referring to the diseases themselves rather than the medical identification) and 'smoking product' (should be 'tobacco products'). The repetition of words like 'illegal' and 'serious' limits the range. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning but lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Diseases... has become', 'smoke... affect', 'nicotine... which cause'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article errors, such as 'the number of deaths' vs 'number of deaths' and 'new born babies'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent verb tense usage.

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

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