Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-03
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)
It is widely acknowledged that smoking has become a pressing concern in contemporary society. In my opinion, it primarily drives serious health issues due to which I firmly believe that it must be strictly prohibited to prevent its life threatening effects. This essay will discuss both perspectives and explain why I strongly support ban on smoking.
On the one hand, a major argument in favor of smoking is that it also provides some long-term benefits apart from its side effects. To clarify, it contributes to a country's economic development as it specifically allows the tobacco's import and export. For instance, recent studies show that Pakistan has been ranked as one of the top countries that successfully engage in tobacco trades every year. Consequently, this demonstrates how smoking plays a fundamental role in uplifting the country's economy.
On the other hand, I would certainly argue that smoking should surely be banned. This is primarily because it is undoubtedly injurious not only to the smokers' health but also to the people who sits near to the smokers as they also inhale the polluted smoke. Furthermore, it causes many serious diseases such as lungs cancer or breathing problems. A clear example of this can be seen in hospitals where people who were once involved in smoking are now facing cancer. Therefore, government enforcement on avoiding smoke is crucial to consider to reduce its negative impacts in no time.
In conclusion, although smoking yields high economic stability, I reiterate that it should be prevented to ens
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position regarding whether smoking should be made illegal. The introduction states the writer's stance, and body paragraphs present arguments for both sides before returning to the author's viewpoint. However, some ideas are under-developed or briefly treated. For instance, the economic argument regarding tobacco trade in Pakistan is mentioned with an example, but it lacks deeper exploration or extension. Similarly, the points regarding passive smoking and health risks are relevant and cover the prompt adequately, but they remain somewhat general rather than fully fleshed out with thorough elaboration. To reach a higher level, the ideas need to be more fully extended and supported with deeper analysis rather than briefly stated.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraphing structure, featuring a distinct introduction, body paragraphs addressing different viewpoints, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Furthermore', and 'Consequently' are used to signpost the progression of ideas, though their application can occasionally feel slightly mechanical or formulaic. Referencing and paragraph transitions are generally functional, allowing the reader to follow the main arguments without significant difficulty. To move up to the next band, the flow between sentences and paragraphs must become more natural and sophisticated, ensuring that cohesive ties connect ideas smoothly without appearing overly rigid or repetitive.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The response demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'pressing concern', 'contemporary society', 'life threatening effects', and 'fundamental role'. There are some word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'government enforcement on avoiding smoke' where phrasing could be more idiomatic, and 'tobacco's import and export'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to use a wider and more precise range of less common vocabulary with greater awareness of natural collocations, style, and word choice.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like relative clauses and conditional-like patterns effectively. There are some grammatical errors present, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('people who sits near to the smokers' instead of 'sit') and minor prepositions errors ('ban on smoking' missing an article or plural form, or 'lungs cancer' instead of 'lung cancer'). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. To attain a higher band, the writer must demonstrate greater control over complex sentence structures and produce a higher frequency of completely error-free sentences.
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.