Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-14

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 can cause serious illness and it should made illegal. While some people believe that it should be made illegal, i disagree with this view, I believe that certain rules and restrictions should get implemented by the government rather banning it.

On the one hand, there are serious health issues which comes along with smoking. This is primarily because cigarettes contain harmful substances that increase the risk of diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease. Smoking daily can attract such illness which can effect lives. Furthermore, banning smoking in public places would protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke. For example, children exposed to cigarette smoke may experience problems. Therefore, strict measures to discourage smoking are necessary to protect public health.

On the other hand, I believe that completely banning smoking is not the best solution. The main reason is that adults should have the freedom to make their own decisions. An outright prohibition could also encourage illegal cigarette sales, making it difficult for authorities to control the market. Instead, governments should introduce higher taxes on tobacco products, restrict advertising and provide support for people who want to quit smoking. For instance, educational campaigns can inform young people about the health risks of smoking and discourage them from developing this habit.

In conclusion, although smoking causes serious illnesses and requires strict control, I do not believe it should be made entirely illegal. Instead, governments should focus on public education, awareness, smoking restrictions and effective support for those who wish to quit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction—“I disagree” with making smoking illegal—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address both the health harms that support restrictions and the case against a complete ban, then offer relevant alternatives such as higher taxes, advertising limits and quitting support. The examples of second-hand smoke affecting children and education discouraging young people help support your reasoning. This is a well-focused response with ideas extended and supported. To make the argument more fully developed, explain the consequences of one proposal in greater detail—for example, how taxation or cessation services could reduce smoking—and clarify the brief point that children “may experience problems” by specifying likely effects. Avoid broad claims without further explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs and a conclusion. The progression from health risks to the drawbacks of prohibition and then to alternative policies is easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand,” “Furthermore,” and “In conclusion” guide the reader, and the contrast between the two main positions is clear. However, some cohesion relies on familiar signposting rather than more flexible links between specific ideas. For example, “Therefore” follows the example about children without explaining the connection in detail, and “On the other hand” introduces a new argument but could be tied more explicitly to the preceding case for restrictions. Use clearer referencing and transitions that show how each example supports the claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “second-hand smoke,” “outright prohibition,” “illegal cigarette sales,” “restrict advertising,” and “educational campaigns.” These choices make the argument clear and show some ability to use less common expressions. At times, however, word choice or collocation is imprecise: “attract such illness” does not naturally express the risk of developing disease, and “effect lives” uses the wrong form for the intended meaning. “Certain rules and restrictions should get implemented” is also awkwardly phrased. Aim for more precise combinations such as “increase the risk of illness,” “affect people’s lives,” and “restrictions should be introduced.” This would make the vocabulary more natural and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including a concessive opening (“While some people believe…”) and a conditional example (“children exposed to cigarette smoke may…”). Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the paragraph structure helps readability. Some grammatical errors remain, however. In the opening, “it should made illegal” is missing “be,” and the sentence beginning “I disagree with this view” joins two independent clauses with a comma. There is also a subject–verb agreement error in “health issues which comes,” and “smoking daily can attract” would need a different grammatical construction to express the intended idea. Check verb forms, agreement and sentence boundaries, while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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