Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-25

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)

It is widely believed that consumption of cigarettes and tobacco can significantly increase the risk of lung cancer. That is why the government should ban these items.

I fully agree with this statement.

It has been proved over the years that smoking can lead to severe diseases such as lung cancer and heart-related problems. As a result, individuals are more likely to lose their lives due to these health issues. For instance, in 2023, the CNC newspaper reported that alone smoking causes more than 40% of deaths worldwide. Thus, the authorities should impose a complete ban on these products.

Secondly, smoking is also one of the reasons to create air pollution and affect non-smokers as well. To elaborate on it further, smoke from cigarettes and other tobacco-related products spreads all over the environment, which increases the air pollution and affects the health of non-smokers too.

Thirdly, smoking causes serious diseases, which is also a burden on the government hospitals and the governments too. To explain it further, the hospitals have to give treatments to more and more patients who are suffering from lung cancer, just like the government also has to pay for the treatment of these patients. As a result, it can also create a burden on the country's economy too. Therefore, smoking should be made illegal.

In conclusion, although a complete ban on smoking takes people's freedom away, it is extremely beneficial for our environment and the governments, and it prevents individuals from dying due to tobacco cancer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have clearly stated your position in the introduction and maintained it throughout the essay. Each paragraph introduces a distinct, relevant argument—health risks, environmental impact, and economic burden—which supports your stance. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive; for instance, you mention 'serious diseases' and 'lung cancer' in both the first and third body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure each paragraph offers a unique perspective or deeper analysis rather than restating similar points. The example provided (CNC newspaper) is specific, which is good, but ensure your arguments are fully extended to demonstrate a more sophisticated level of reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use transition signals such as 'Secondly', 'Thirdly', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some of the cohesive devices feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'To explain it further' and 'As a result'. Additionally, the referencing within sentences could be smoother; for example, the phrase 'just like the government also has to pay' is slightly awkward. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'consumption', 'impose a complete ban', and 'burden on the country's economy'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'tobacco cancer' (which is not a standard medical term) and 'give treatments to' (where 'provide treatment for' would be more precise). While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, you should aim to incorporate more precise collocations and less common lexical items to demonstrate a higher level of language proficiency.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'alone smoking causes' should be 'smoking alone causes', and 'the government also has to pay' is slightly redundant in context. There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. To improve, focus on refining your complex sentence structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement. The majority of your sentences are understandable, but more attention to detail in grammar would help you achieve a higher score.

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