Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-14

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)

Nowadays, we can see that smoking is very common habit in some countries but it can cause various health problems. Some people thinks that smoking should be made illegal. I partly agree with statement, although, i don't think it would be the best way.

Firstly, smoking can cause many serious illnesses and can also affect people who are around smokers. For example, second-hand smoke can be harmful to family members, especially children. If smoking were completely illegal, it could reduce the number of people who smoke and improve public health. It could also encourage young people to avoid starting this habit.

However, making smoking completely illegal could create other problems. Many adults are addicted to cigarettes, and suddenly banning them may not help them quit. Instead, governments could increase taxes on cigarettes, ban smoking in public places, and provide support for people who want to stop smoking. These steps could reduce smoking while giving smokers a chance to change their habits.

In conclusion, I agree that smoking is harmful and should be strongly controlled, but I do not believe that making it completely illegal is the best solution. Governments should focus on education, strict rules and support for smokers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position on whether smoking should be illegal. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits the development of ideas. While the arguments regarding public health and the practical difficulties of banning cigarettes are relevant, they are presented in a very brief manner. To reach a higher band, you must expand your supporting points with more detailed explanations, specific examples, or hypothetical scenarios to ensure the response is fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, moving from the health risks to the practical limitations of a ban, and finally to a balanced conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used appropriately to link sentences and paragraphs. While the structure is sound, the brevity of the text makes the overall flow feel somewhat abrupt. Increasing the length would allow for more sophisticated transitions between ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally accurate and sufficient for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinion clearly. Phrases like 'serious illnesses', 'second-hand smoke', and 'strongly controlled' are appropriate. However, the range is somewhat limited and repetitive. There are no attempts to use more sophisticated or less common lexical items that would demonstrate a wider range. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and collocations related to public policy and health.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'is very common habit' (missing article 'a') and 'Some people thinks' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, though the use of 'i' instead of 'I' is a recurring error. While the meaning is never in doubt, the limited length prevents the display of a wider range of complex grammatical structures. Focusing on error-free complex sentences will help improve this score.

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

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