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)

Smoking should be made illegal since it can cause serious damage to the organism. In my opinion it is true that it can be extremely dangerous, however, I do not agree that it should be completely illegal. In my opinion the awareness about the damage should increase overall and hopefully people will stop smoking without it being required by the law.

Smoking is one of the most dangerous habits in our society. Therefore, people should be more aware of what it can cause in the long run, such as cancer and other seriuos respiratory diseases. In order to achieve that objective, the number of dedicated events or videos related to this topic should increase, instead of declaring it illegal, to make people understand that they should stop smoking to preserve their wellbeing and not just because it is imposed by the government.

Moreover, I believe that if smoking is simply prohibited, people would search other illegal way to obtain cigarettes, because smokers have a dipendence, and if it is not properly handled, it is difficult and almost impossible to make them stop. On the other hand, if the society understand what would probably be the outcome if they do not stop smoking, so a permanent physical damage, maybe with true picture or examples, it would be better in the long term.

In conclusion, I believe that smoking is very harmful for the body, especially lungs and heart, but I do not agree that it should be illegal in order to make people quit. Instead, I believe that through dedicated explanations of the damage it causes, people will understand and probably quit by themself.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: although smoking is harmful, you oppose making it illegal and favour education instead. You address both the health risks and the proposed legal response, and examples such as cancer and respiratory disease keep the discussion relevant. The explanation that prohibition could lead smokers to seek cigarettes illegally also supports your view. However, some ideas are asserted rather than fully developed: for example, you do not explain how awareness campaigns would reach smokers or why they are likely to be more effective than legal restrictions. The conclusion restates your position but adds little synthesis. The response covers the task well overall, while fuller explanation and support for key claims would make the argument more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear four-paragraph structure, moving from your position to health education, the possible effects of prohibition, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Therefore,” “Moreover,” and “On the other hand” help signal relationships between ideas, and the overall progression is easy to follow. Some connections are less smooth: “On the other hand” introduces a point that largely continues your argument for education rather than presenting a clear contrast. The repeated use of “In my opinion” and “I believe” also makes the cohesion somewhat formulaic. In addition, the final sentence of the third paragraph is long and its relationship between the proposed examples and the outcome could be clearer. More varied referencing and more precise transitions would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “respiratory diseases,” “prohibited,” “dependence,” and “permanent physical damage,” so the main ideas are communicated clearly. There are also attempts to express more specific concepts, such as the long-term consequences of smoking. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “damage to the organism,” “dedicated events,” and “true picture” do not express your intended meaning naturally. Spelling errors such as “seriuos” and “dipendence,” along with “themself,” reduce accuracy. Aim to learn vocabulary in common combinations and check spelling and word forms carefully. This would make your language more precise and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “since,” “if,” and “because,” and most sentences remain understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, particularly with agreement and sentence construction. For example, “if the society understand” needs a plural verb, while “people would search other illegal way” has errors in the determiner and plural form. The sentence beginning “On the other hand, if the society…” is also difficult to control because it shifts into “so a permanent physical damage” without a clear grammatical connection. There is some effective subordination, but greater accuracy in longer sentences would improve control. Practise checking subject–verb agreement, articles, plurals, and the structure of conditional sentences.

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