Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-03

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 often argued that smoking is the main cause of illness and the government should take strict action against its prevention. While there are some valid arguments in favour of this view, I believe that smoking should be made illegal as it cause serious health issues.

One of the main reasons is that why it should be banned is cancer. In recent years, the rate of cancer patients has increased and the doctors are saying that the smoking is the root cause behind this. Furthermore, the smokers are also affecting the environment as well. For instance, when a person does smoke in a crowded area, unknowingly the people around them are also inhaling it which directly has impact on their lungs. Because of this, the government has installed the sign of no smoking zone in most of the public areas.

On the other hand, the people who are under the influence of smoking argue that it helps them to concentrate on their work, because it increase the adrenaline in their body.

Some say smoking gives them relief whenever they are in stress. Moreover, if the government made it illegal then this step will impact the employment rate negatively. For example, the tobacco industry is one of the largest industries in the world, and there are many families who are working in this sector. They have to find the alternative work if this industry is shutting down.

To conclude, although this will impact on economy and lifestyle of the people who does smoking, I believe that to maintain a healthy lifestyle around the world it is significant to ban this. Therefore, authorities should take the accountability towards this issue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt and maintained a clear position throughout the essay. Your arguments regarding health risks and environmental impact are relevant, and you have acknowledged the counter-argument regarding economic consequences. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about the tobacco industry is a strong argument, but it could have been expanded further to explain how governments might mitigate these economic losses. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with more depth and specific examples, rather than just stating the points briefly. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' to guide the reader through your arguments. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing. For example, in the second paragraph, 'the doctors are saying that the smoking' is slightly awkward in its flow. Additionally, the connection between the health argument and the environmental argument could be smoother. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'adrenaline', 'accountability', and 'employment rate' appropriately. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'take strict action against its prevention' (which is contradictory) and 'find the alternative work'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise collocation. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'public health crisis', 'economic repercussions', or 'mitigate the impact'. Focusing on natural collocations will help you move into the higher band range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are several recurring grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. For example, 'it cause serious health issues' (subject-verb agreement), 'the rate of cancer patients has increased' (should be 'incidence of cancer'), and 'the people who does smoking' (subject-verb agreement). Additionally, there are minor issues with article usage, such as 'the smoking' and 'the environment'. While these errors rarely impede the reader's understanding, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.