Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-22

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)

In this modern world, smoking have become a significant issue that is causing heart disease and lung cancer to majority of people. Although, the government is making stricter policies on tobacco ban, however in my opinion I think it should not be made completely illegal.

There are compelling reasons to control tobacco consumption. Chronic diseases resulting from cigarette smoking is posing a severe financial burden to the family as well as public healthcare system. Not only this, but non-smokers: especially individuals with asthma and more often the young childrens, are seriously affected due to passive smoking. Therefore, the local authorities must take preventive measures to limit smoking in shared spaces and also deter youngsters from initiating such habit.

However, an outright prohibition will create a serious issue without eliminating demand. For many adults, smoking is often seen as a problem of personal rights, and considering it as an act of crime will be infringement of personal freedom. Additionally, a complete ban is more likely to attract black market that is run by criminal networks in the country and it is likely to yield more counterfeit products which may pose a serious hazard to the civilians. Such issues can be controlled by enforcement of heavy taxes and manufacturing plain package with graphic warnings or prohibiting all tobacco marketing.

In conclusion, smoking imposes a serious damage to all individuals as well as the society. But, a complete ban would be an excessive and result into a counterproductive response. Therefore, it is important to educate people and offer cessation support to quit smoking voluntarily as it represents a far more sensible and supportive approach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the problems caused by smoking and the arguments for and against a total ban, presenting a clear position throughout. The writer explores the financial and health burdens of tobacco consumption, as well as the counterarguments concerning personal freedom and the risk of creating a black market. Ideas are well developed and extended with relevant reasoning, such as the potential rise of counterfeit products and the importance of education and cessation support. The position is consistently maintained from the introduction to the conclusion, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.0 or Band 8.0 descriptor. However, due to minor generalisations and some under-developed supporting examples, the response sits comfortably within the Band 7 range.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from the introduction to the reasons for control, the arguments against a complete ban, and a balanced conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Although', 'Therefore', 'However', and 'Additionally', ensuring the relationships between ideas are clear. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to structure the argument. While the referencing and cohesion are generally clear, there are occasional slightly mechanical transitions that prevent the score from reaching the highest bands. Overall, the structural flow is well managed and easily readable, fully satisfying the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision. Phrases such as 'compelling reasons', 'severe financial burden', 'passive smoking', and 'outright prohibition' show a good awareness of topic-specific collocation. However, there are some minor lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'smoking have become' (subject-verb agreement combined with lexical choice), 'initiating such habit' instead of 'initiating such a habit', and 'result into a counterproductive response' instead of 'result in'. Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is adequate to convey meaning clearly, and less common lexical items are attempted with some success, aligning with a Band 6.5 or solid Band 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional and concessive structures such as 'Although, the government is making...' and 'For many adults, smoking is often seen as...'. Good control of grammar and punctuation is evident for the most part. Nevertheless, a few noticeable errors persist, including subject-verb agreement ('smoking have become', 'Chronic diseases... is posing'), missing articles ('young childrens' instead of 'young children', 'attract black market' instead of 'attract a black market'), and punctuation issues with introductory conjunctions. These errors do not impede communication, and there are frequent error-free sentences, supporting a Band 6.5 performance.

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