Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-23

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)

Smoking is a major cause of serious health problems and it must be illegal too. It definitely affects both smokers and people around them by smoke. I fully agree with this statement that smoking should be restricted and selling of it should be also stopped.

Smoking causes serious diseases such as lung cancer abd heart diseases. It damages lung and reduce life expectancy as well. Smoking can harm everyone including children and people who are surrounded by smokers. It is illegal so, government should restricting smoking in public places to protect public's health. For instance, smoking bans in public places such as hotel, restarurants, hospitals and public transport can protect health of non-smokers. As a result, health of people will be protected by such situations and they will become more healthier.

Many smokers are adult and they think that we have freedom to take their own decisions. If it was complete ban then it will lead to illegal selling of cigarette and black markets. To solve this serious issuem government should increase cigarette tax and support people who want to quite. With high taxes many people avoid cigarettes.There are many adults who need to be educate enough to know how much harmful cigarette can be. For example, by organising public awareness campaigns can give information about the dangers of smoking. So, public will avoid cigarettes and stop smoking after knowing the dangers.

In conclusion, from my point of view, smoking is harmful and needs strict control who are addicted to it. According to me, complete ban is not an solution, there need be proper one like high taxes on cigarettes. Governments should combine restrictions, education and quitting suppot to reduce smoking.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree smoking is harmful and argue for strict controls, while rejecting a complete ban. You address health effects, protection of non-smokers, taxation, education and support for quitting, so the response remains relevant to the question. The discussion of public-place restrictions is supported with examples such as hospitals and public transport. However, the task asks whether smoking should be made illegal, and your distinction between banning smoking in public and banning the sale or use of cigarettes is not fully resolved. The point about black markets is relevant but needs fuller explanation, and the proposed measures could be linked more directly to your degree of agreement. Develop these ideas more evenly to make the argument more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The first body paragraph focuses on health harms and public restrictions, while the next considers personal freedom and alternative policies. Linking phrases such as “For instance,” “As a result” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the argument. At times, however, connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “It is illegal so, government should restricting smoking” does not clearly connect the claim about illegality to the proposed restriction. The second body paragraph also moves quickly from freedom to black markets, taxes, education and campaigns. Use clearer topic sentences and explain how each point supports your position, with more precise referencing between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “life expectancy,” “public awareness campaigns,” “black markets” and “cigarette tax.” These terms help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, several word-choice, collocation and spelling problems reduce precision, such as “more healthier,” “quite” for “quit,” “serious issuem,” and “quitting suppot.” Some phrases are also unnatural, including “people who are surrounded by smokers” and “needs strict control who are addicted to it.” Aim for accurate word forms and natural combinations, and avoid repeating “smoking” and “cigarettes” when a precise alternative such as “tobacco use” or “these products” fits. This would make your vocabulary more controlled and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “If it was complete ban then it will lead to illegal selling of cigarette and black markets.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. Examples include “lung … reduce life expectancy” (subject–verb agreement), “government should restricting” (verb form), and “There are many adults who need to be educate” (passive construction). Articles and sentence patterns also need attention, as in “complete ban” and “there need be proper one.” The conditional sentence would be clearer as “If a complete ban were introduced, it could lead to illegal sales and black markets.” Review agreement, verb forms, articles and conditional structures while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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