Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-29

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)

It is often argued that since smoking causes serious illnesses, it should be banned completely. I partly agree with the given statement because although it may save people from dangerous diseases, it can also lead to unemployment and economic challenges.

To begin with, there is no denying that smoking results in fatal diseases. In other words, smokers inhale toxic substances inside their body which weakens body organs significantly, resulting in serious illness such as lung cancer and several heart related diseases. Moreover, it is also dangerous for non smokers because they inhale smoke coming out from nearby chain smokers. Therefore, making smoking illegal would substantially resolve these health related issues and would make people live a healthy life.

Nevertheless, a complete ban can have a detrimental impact on overall economy. This is primarily because cigarette production companies usually generate high volume of revenue which boosts nation's economy significantly. However, a complete shut down of these organizations would make nation suffer economic problems. Furthermore, these companies hire a lot of workers such as maintenance staff, production associates, security workers and other important occupants. If smoking is made illegal, it would result in mass unemployment. As a consequence, workers would face financial challenges. Hence, government should rather implement strict policies against under 18 smokers than making it illegal. Moreover, they should improve public infrastructure by making smoke zones accessible at public places to keep at least passive smokers safe from smoking hazards.

Overall, although a complete ban on smoking can save people from serious sickness, it can also lead to mass unemployment and make an entire nation suffer from economic issues. Therefore, the officials should implement alternative strategies instead.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by providing a clear position and supporting it with relevant arguments. Your stance is consistent throughout the essay. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the economic consequences of a ban. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are balanced with more specific examples. For instance, when discussing the economic impact, you could mention a specific country or a hypothetical scenario to add depth. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question of 'to what extent' you agree.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'Nevertheless', and 'As a consequence' effectively to link your points. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the health arguments from the economic ones. The flow is smooth, and the relationship between ideas is clear. To improve, ensure that the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is slightly more seamless to enhance the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'detrimental impact', 'fatal diseases', and 'mass unemployment' are used accurately. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'important occupants' (which is not the standard term for employees) and 'nation's economy' (which should be 'the nation's economy'). While you use some less common items, increasing your use of more sophisticated collocations and idiomatic expressions would help you reach a higher band. Your spelling is accurate throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are clear, and your control of grammar is generally good. However, there are some minor errors, such as missing articles ('the nation's economy', 'the government') and occasional prepositional slips. These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. To improve, focus on ensuring consistent article usage and refining your use of complex sentence structures to ensure they are error-free. Your punctuation is generally correct and supports the clarity of your writing.

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