Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-06

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 discussed how smoking causes harmful effect on one's health and should be made illegal. To some extent, I agree with this suggestion as smoking has many disadvantages.

There is no doubt about the harmful effects of smoking. By making it illegal, a considerable proportion of people can be saved from its harmful effects. Smoking has lead to many serious illnesses such as critical lung condition and cancer. For instance, my mom lost her uncle to lung cancer. The doctor informed us how smoking triggered his illness and lead to lung cancer. People see their loved ones suffering from health issues due to smoking. Also, when one starts smoking, they may want to try other drugs and nicotine containing substances which can cause addiction problems. As a medical graduate, I can say that smoking is the root cause of many illnesses.

Although smoking is injurious to health but making it illegal is not the most effective solution. Governments should start awareness campaigns and people should be informed about its harmful effects. Some appropriate measures should be taken to reduce the consumption of such items. Increasing the prices of these products or reducing their import can be effective.

In conclusion, a significant proportion of people who smokes are not aware of its associated health problems. Governments and NGO's should work together to reduce smoking consumption and aware people of its associated medical conditions in simple terms. Also, people who are chronic smokers should be provided appropriate rehabilitation so they can set an example for other smokers who are trying to quit smoking.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you agree that smoking causes serious illness, but argue that prohibition is not the most effective response. You support the health argument with relevant examples, including your uncle’s lung cancer, and suggest alternatives such as awareness campaigns, higher prices and rehabilitation. This addresses the main parts of the question. However, the extent of your agreement could be explained more precisely: the opening says you agree “to some extent,” while the conclusion focuses mainly on reducing smoking rather than clarifying whether it should remain legal. The point about smoking leading people to try other drugs is also asserted without explanation. Develop this reasoning and weigh the benefits and drawbacks of making smoking illegal more directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from the health risks to alternatives to prohibition and then to a conclusion. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and linking expressions such as “For instance,” “Although” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. This gives the essay a coherent arrangement. Some connections, however, are mechanical or unclear. The sentence beginning “Although smoking is injurious to health but…” uses two contrasting markers, and the shift from smoking to other drugs is not fully linked to the central question. The conclusion also introduces rehabilitation without developing it in the body. To strengthen progression, make each paragraph’s main point explicit and ensure that supporting details connect directly to your position on legality.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “harmful effects,” “serious illnesses,” “awareness campaigns,” “consumption” and “rehabilitation.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and terms such as “chronic smokers” show an attempt to use more specific language. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, though: “critical lung condition,” “reduce smoking consumption” and “aware people of its associated medical conditions” do not sound natural in this context. “Lead” is also used where the past-tense form is needed, which affects word form. Aim for more precise, conventional expressions and avoid repeating “harmful effects” and “smoking” when a clear alternative is available. These improvements would make the argument more fluent and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “when one starts smoking, they may want to try other drugs” and a subordinate clause in “so they can set an example.” Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors persist. For example, “smoking has lead” should use the past participle “led,” and “a significant proportion of people who smokes” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “Although smoking is injurious to health but…,” the two contrasting conjunctions should not be used together. There are also some article and plural-form issues, as in “a considerable proportion of people” followed by “can be saved” (the intended meaning could be made clearer). Review agreement, verb forms and clause construction while continuing to vary sentence patterns.

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