Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-29

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 injurious to health; it is a well-known fact. It can make life difficult for both smokers and the people around them. I strongly believe that it should be banned and made illegal because the consequences it has are horrible. There are many reasons for my strong dislike and the urge to prohibit this. I will discuss a few of them to support my idea.

First and foremost, it is bad for human health, especially for the lungs, considering both active and passive smoking. It fills the lungs with tar, which not only damages the breathing process but eventually increases the risk of death. Apart from its effects on smokers, it also continuously and badly affects the people around them. These people can be family members, friends, coworkers, or even strangers. For instance, people who smoke are more likely to damage their lungs compared with non-smokers.

In addition to the health risks, it also makes many people uncomfortable. This can be due to their health issues or simply because they dislike smoking in general. For example, people who have asthma or any other medical condition related to breathing cannot tolerate exposure to cigarette smoke.

Furthermore, it makes people addicted to nicotine. It can give them temporary feelings of pleasure or relief. Therefore, people may smoke when they are upset or mentally stressed. In this way, they try to escape from such unpleasant feelings. Their habit of using smoking as an escape can become an addiction that they later find difficult to quit. For instance, the father of one of my friends lost his life due to this addictive habit. He knew that it was bad, but he could not quit because he had become addicted. He promised his family several times that he would quit this habit, but it was easier said than done. Eventually, he died because of severe damage to his lungs.

So, considering all the consequences, I do not see any reason not to support a ban on smoking. People who make a fortune by selling these products should also face strict punishment because they put human lives at risk.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position in favor of banning smoking. The ideas are relevant, focusing on health risks, the impact on others, and the nature of addiction. While the arguments are logical, they could be further developed with more nuanced analysis. For instance, the discussion on the economic impact of a ban or the feasibility of such a policy is absent, which would have elevated the response. However, the position is consistent throughout, and the supporting examples, such as the anecdote about the friend's father, effectively illustrate the points made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'In addition to', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly repetitive or mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the final paragraph's suggestion of 'punishment' for sellers and the previous arguments could be more smoothly integrated to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific terminology like 'passive smoking', 'nicotine', and 'addictive habit'. While the range is adequate, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Some phrases are slightly simplistic, such as 'bad for human health' or 'make a fortune'. To improve, the student should incorporate more precise collocations and academic vocabulary to express ideas with greater nuance and variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are grammatically accurate, and errors are rare and do not impede communication. For example, 'It can make life difficult for both smokers and the people around them' is a well-constructed sentence. There is good control over punctuation and basic grammar. To reach a higher band, the student should aim to incorporate a wider variety of complex structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice constructions, with greater frequency and accuracy.

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.