Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Smoking cigarettes regularly can result in severe health issues and should therefore be banned permanently. I partly agree with the given statement because, although this habit can cause serious health problems, making it illegal would have a detrimental impact on the business. This essay will discuss both point of view in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, there is no doubt that smokers put themselves under greater threats of getting ill to serious diseases. In other words, it has been proved by a medical team that those who smoke cigars inhale toxic ingredients inside their body which harms several body-organs such as lungs and a heart. As a result, they are highly prone to suffer from extremely dangerous illnesses which may result in death. For instance, as per recent a study conducted by medical students, 80 percent of smokers die sooner compared to those who do not smoke. Moreover, passive smokers who are not even smoking can face health issues just by keeping in contact with active smokers. Therefore, smoking should be made illegal for good health of individuals.

Nevertheless, implementing a ban on cigarettes can be risky as associated businesses would shut down completely. Consequently, a lot of people who work for such organizations would lose their jobs which can result in mass unemployment all of sudden. Additionally, it will impact negatively on overall economy of the nation as such companies generally generate a large amount of revenue in comparison with other industries. For example, cigar manufacturing industries play a crucial role in maintaining overall economical growth in India. However, if smoking is banned, it would shrink economical development in many such countries.

In conclusion, although smoking undoubtedly is injurious to health, putting a permanent ban may not be an efficient solution since it affects negatively not only on employment but also on economy of a nation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by presenting a clear position and discussing both sides of the argument. Your ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of health statistics and the economic impact on industries in India. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully developed; for instance, the point about passive smoking is introduced but not linked back to the core argument of legality as strongly as it could be. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question asked.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Nevertheless', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader through your arguments. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two main viewpoints. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the phrase 'both point of view' which should be plural, and some slightly mechanical transitions. Improving the variety of linking words would help the essay flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'detrimental impact', 'toxic ingredients', and 'economical development'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'cigar' (which usually refers to a specific type of tobacco product, whereas 'cigarettes' is more appropriate here) and 'economical' (which refers to saving money, whereas 'economic' refers to the economy). Despite these minor slips, the meaning is always clear, and you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this task. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'recent a study' (word order), 'a heart' (article usage), and 'it affects negatively not only on employment but also on economy' (preposition and article errors). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on article usage and ensuring that complex sentence structures are punctuated correctly to avoid minor slips.

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

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