Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-02

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 is widely known for its dangerous effects on health, causing asthma, lung cancer, heart diseases etc. Due to these risks some people thinks that smoking should be illegal. I completely agree to make smoking illegal due to its dangerous health effects.

On one hand, Smoking effects on health are undeniable. History shows many research that depicts cancer caused by smoking. For instance, World Health Organisation shows data that reveals millions of death linked directly by smoking. Second hand, non-smokers have to pay the price because they breathe in the same air. Children and elderly are mostly gets affected due to study shown by Deepika's News in 2020. From making smoking illegal, could significantly reduce public health cost.

However, banning smoking could entirely create new problems. For example, in 2005, Government prohibit addictive substances, as alcohol which thereafter led to black market emerge. This can increase the crime. Additionally, a sudden ban may seen as strong public resistance.

Instead government should adopt balance measures such as, increasing taxes on tobacco products, resisting advertising and create more smoking free zones. Educational campaigns, targeting young people can make a huge differences. Many countries have adopted the smoke-free zones which have been successful to reduce tobacco consumption.

In conclusion, although smoking causes serious life threating diseases but sudden ban risks the society would not be beneficial. A combination of strict regulations, educating public, and policies regarding health can be more effective than making smoking illegal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt but fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which negatively impacts the score. While you present a clear position, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. You argue for a ban in the introduction but then pivot to a more nuanced view in the body paragraphs, which creates a slight contradiction in your stance. The conclusion effectively summarizes your alternative approach, but the initial argument lacks the depth required for a higher band. To improve, ensure you fully expand on your points with more detailed examples and ensure your position remains consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'However', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Second hand' (which should be 'On the other hand') and 'From making smoking illegal, could significantly reduce'. The flow between sentences is generally clear, but the logical progression within the second paragraph is slightly hampered by grammatical errors. Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words will help the essay flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'addictive substances', 'tobacco consumption', and 'regulations'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'History shows many research' (should be 'much research') and 'life threating' (should be 'life-threatening'). Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'depicts cancer caused by smoking'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure that your vocabulary is used in the correct grammatical context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Examples include 'some people thinks' (subject-verb agreement), 'mostly gets affected' (incorrect passive voice), and 'may seen as' (missing auxiliary verb). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely obscure your meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct formation of passive structures to improve your accuracy.

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