Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-11

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)

Smoking causes a significant number of diseases including life threatening disease such as cancer. Some people think it should be made illegal. I agree with the harmful effects of smoking however, I making it illegal is not a viable solution in my opinion.

Consumption of cigarettes and vapes has increased over-time because of its easy availability. The smoke generated from this is not only injurious to smokers but it also affects adversely to passive smokers. As per a research paper published in "Springer 2025" nearly percent of the people consuming nicotine suffer from various different cancer such as mouth cancer, lung cancer or throat cancer. Some passive smokers suffer from headaches or migraines if they accidentally inhale the smoke.

Banning consumption of nicotine can result in campaigns against government by people. Also, some people can sell it illegally and can earn an enormous amount of money which cannot be accounted by government. This can result in fraudsters selling duplicate or mixed products and can also affect a person' life immediately. For example, Gujarat is considered as a "dry state" because alcohol is considered illegal. But there was an incident last month in newspaper which stated 15 people died because of consuming mixed alcohol that was sold by a fraudster. Consequently a complete ban cannot be a way to save people from getting ill, the only way is creating awareness through every possible way including social media, newspaper or television.

To conclude, I strongly agree that consumption of cigarettes, tobacco or vape can be restricted and more awareness should be spread through social media. But making it illegal can raise aggression in public and can also become a financial burden on government.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that while smoking is harmful, a total ban is not the best solution. The ideas are relevant and supported by a specific example (the dry state of Gujarat). However, the development is slightly uneven; the research citation is vague (missing a percentage), and the argument could be strengthened by exploring the economic benefits of taxation or the effectiveness of health education in more depth. The position is consistent throughout the essay, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, but it falls slightly short of the 'fully developed' criteria for higher bands due to the lack of depth in some supporting arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the health risks from the arguments against prohibition. Cohesive devices such as 'consequently', 'also', and 'to conclude' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the incomplete sentence 'nearly percent of the people'. The flow is generally smooth, but the lack of sophisticated linking between the health argument and the economic argument prevents a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some good topic-specific terms like 'passive smokers', 'prohibition', and 'injurious'. There are some inaccuracies, such as 'affects adversely to' (should be 'adversely affects') and 'campaigns against government' (should be 'campaigns against the government'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, but the use of less common lexical items is limited, and there are occasional errors in collocation that prevent the writing from reaching a higher band. Overall, the vocabulary is functional and clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'I making it illegal' (should be 'making it illegal'), 'various different cancer' (should be 'various types of cancer'), and 'a person' life' (should be 'a person's life'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to be noticeable. The control of punctuation is generally good, but the sentence structure lacks the flexibility and error-free nature required for a higher band. The essay demonstrates a solid grasp of basic grammar but struggles with more complex constructions.

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.