Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-02

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 8.0)

The debate over whether smoking, which is responsible for harmful diseases such as chronic illness, asthma, and cancer, has attracted considerable attention in recent years. I strongly believe that it ought to be entirely banned in our society. This is mainly because it not only causes unbearable diseases but also negatively affects smokers' social lives.

The main reason for my view is the overwhelming financial strain that smoking-related illnesses impose on national health services. In other words, when millions of residents develop lung cancer or heart-related diseases due to prolonged tobacco use, governments are forced to allocate a large proportion of their budget towards expensive treatments and post-surgical care. For instance, according to the Conference Board of Canada, the government spends around $6.1 billion every year to treat smoking-related conditions, whereas this money could be used in other sectors such as education, infrastructure, and housing for senior citizens. Therefore, it is essential to take critical steps to resolve this issue.

Furthermore, I would argue that smoking is not a personal choice because it directly affects the health of passive smokers, such as young children, pregnant women, and elderly adults who do not smoke. This is unfair to other people. For example, last year, the province of Ontario in Canada strictly banned the use of cigarettes and vaping in public areas. According to a recent study, authorities noticed that the number of lung-related illnesses reduced from 60 percent to 25 percent, which was a great achievement for the local government.

In conclusion, I remain convinced that banning smoking would be a significant step towards improving the health of individuals and society as a whole.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of banning smoking. The arguments are well-developed, particularly the economic argument regarding healthcare costs and the social argument regarding passive smoking. The inclusion of specific examples, such as the Conference Board of Canada data and the Ontario public health policy, adds depth and credibility to the response. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. The ideas are relevant and logically extended, meeting the requirements for a high band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, and the progression of ideas is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'In other words', 'For instance', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The referencing is clear, and the overall structure is coherent, making the argument easy to follow. There is a logical flow from the financial impact of smoking to the ethical considerations of passive smoking.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The vocabulary is precise and appropriate for the topic. The student uses a good range of topic-specific terminology such as 'prolonged tobacco use', 'post-surgical care', 'passive smokers', and 'financial strain'. The use of language is natural and demonstrates a good level of control. While the vocabulary is accurate and fits the context well, it could be slightly more sophisticated to reach the highest band, but it is certainly sufficient for a high-level response. There are no noticeable errors in word choice or collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response displays a good variety of complex sentence structures, such as the use of relative clauses ('which is responsible for...') and conditional-like structures ('when millions of residents develop...'). The grammar is generally accurate, with the majority of sentences being error-free. Punctuation is used correctly to support the flow of ideas. There are no significant grammatical errors that impede communication, and the control over complex structures is consistent throughout the text.

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