Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-24

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 strongly agree that smoking should be made illegal due to the high risks of serious diseases. It is addictive and can cause chronic health problem to both smokers and non-smokers.

One reason to why smoking should be made illegal is because it is addictive and can lead to a long-term disease like lung cancer. This is because cigarettes have a cancerous substance called carcinogin, which is inhaled by the people when they smoke the cigarette. This carcinogin enters a person's lungs and overtime turns into a cancerous tumor. Many researches show that chain-smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer as compared those who don't. Another suprising thing is that, even after being diagnosed with such a life threatening disease, the smokers don't stop; mainly due to addiction.

Another reason to why governments should impose a strict ban on smoking is because of its harmful impact on non-smokers. Non-smokers are more affected by smoking as compared to those who do. Although they, themselves, don't smoke, they are still diagnosed with diseases like cancer. The primary reason behind this is that, non-smokers sit in the company of such people who smoke cigarettes. They inhale the smoke exhaled by the smokers. As a result, the chances of getting a diseases like chronic breathing problems, lung cancer and brain tumor increases. Many people who are diagnosed with cancer either have a relative who also had this disease or tend to have a friend who smokes.

In conclusion, I believe that smoking is a life threating risk that both the smokers and non-smokers face, just because of one's addiction. Therefore, the government should take strict actions and make it illegal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student presents a clear overall position agreeing that smoking should be made illegal. The main body paragraphs explore valid ideas related to health hazards for both smokers and passive smokers, fulfilling the basic requirements of the prompt. However, some ideas tend to overgeneralise, such as the claim that non-smokers are more affected than active smokers, and the support in places relies on loose reasoning rather than deeply developed argumentation. While all parts of the task are addressed, the depth of exploration aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors, where relevant ideas are present but somewhat under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response is arranged into a logical overall structure with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on distinct points, and a brief conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, but there is some mechanical repetition, particularly with transitional phrases like 'One reason to why...' and 'Another reason to why...'. Referencing is generally clear, though referencing words and substitutions could be varied more flexibly to achieve a smoother progression. Overall, the organization meets the criteria for Band 6, showing a coherent arrangement despite some mechanical cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'carcinogen' (spelled 'carcinogin'), 'chain-smokers', and 'life threatening'. There are several spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'problem' instead of 'problems', 'carcinogin' instead of 'carcinogen', 'suprising' instead of 'surprising', and 'threating' instead of 'threatening'. However, these inaccuracies do not impede communication, and the writer successfully conveys their arguments. The lexical range and error frequency fit comfortably within the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. There are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'Many researches show' and 'the chances of getting a diseases... increases', as well as awkward phrasing in structures like 'One reason to why'. Punctuation is generally acceptable. While the errors occur with some frequency, the meaning remains clear and communication is rarely impeded, aligning well with the characteristics of a Band 6 performance.

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

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