Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-19

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 6.0)

I agree with the statement that smoking can cause serious illness but I cannot fully agree with the statement that it should be made illegal. I strongly believe that smoking can cause major health issues and illnesses such as cancer, leukemia and cardiovascular diseases. Tobacco and smoking in itself is a very bad habit but I do not believe it should be made illegal.

Humans are habituated with bad habits since very long time and smoking is one of them. Smoking can truly be harmful for an individual and also for the loved ones of that individual. Passive smoking can be infact more harmful than actual smoking. But having said that I believe making it illegal is not the best solution for it. People can always find a way around and can get access to cigarettes if they truly want to, making it illegal would be encouraging people to access it illegaly and would be more problematic. Also it is a fact that tobacco industry employees millions of people, making it illegal to manufacture and distribute would cause a major economical and financial disaster. For example, I have a close relative battling lung cancer due to excessive smoking. It is a very chronic illness and possibly difficult to cure. But this does not negate the fact that we have millions of people working in this industry, for example my friend works in retail for distribution of cigarettes and for suppose if it is made illegal it will be a threat to his livelihood and will be financially burdening for his entire family.

In conclusion, I strongly believe smoking can cause serious illness but I don't support making it illegal. It is a concious choice a grown adult to smoke because smoking is already illegal for person who's underage and an adult can choose not to smoke and take care of their health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on whether smoking should be made illegal. The writer successfully balances the acknowledgement of smoking's health hazards with the argument that a blanket ban is impractical and economically damaging. Ideas are extended with relevant examples, such as the mention of relatives or friends working in the tobacco distribution industry and battling lung cancer. However, the development tends to be slightly repetitive in places, particularly in restating the writer's stance in multiple paragraphs without introducing entirely new dimensions of argument. The position remains clear throughout, meeting the criteria for Band 6.5, which is best represented here at Band 6.0 due to some under-development of secondary arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion. Ideas are logically sequenced, moving from the health effects to the economic consequences of a potential ban. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'having said that', 'also it is a fact', and 'in conclusion', though some referencing is a bit mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, main body arguments, and the final thoughts. However, sentence-to-sentence transitions could be smoother to enhance the overall flow. On balance, the organisational structure and logical progression align well with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'cardiovascular diseases', 'passive smoking', 'livelihood', and 'economical and financial disaster'. There are some attempts at less common lexical items, although occasional inaccuracies occur, such as 'habituated with bad habits' instead of 'accustomed to bad habits', 'infact', 'illegaly', and 'concious choice'. Spelling errors like 'illegaly' and 'concious' are present, but they do not impede communication. The lexical range is sufficient to convey the writer's message clearly, supporting a Band 6.0 rating.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures such as 'People can always find a way around and can get access to cigarettes if they truly want to...'. However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, including run-on sentences like 'It is a concious choice a grown adult to smoke because smoking is already illegal for person who's underage...', missing prepositions, and article errors ('for person', 'economical and financial disaster' where economic is needed). Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6.0 band.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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