Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Doctors tell us that we can get all the vitamins we need from having a healthy diet. Despite this advice, some people continue to spend large sums of money on vitamin pills.

Why do you think some people spend a lot of money on vitamin pills?

How could people be persuaded to improve their diet instead of buying vitamin pills?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Many people prefer to spend a huge amount of money on multi-vitamins regardless of the advice from doctors to get those nutrients from a healthy diet. There are a number of reasons which contribute to this factor like impressive brand endorsements which attract people by claiming quick results and easier to ingest than real food.

Many pharmacuetical companies invest heavily in the promotion of multi-vitamins because of the increase in their demand. This demand is based on the sedentary lifestyle which leads to a number of health related problems like weak bones, decreased immunity and other deficiencies. Many people find it easy and convenient to purchase vitamin pills once rather than searching for food sources and buying them every other day. Moreover, pills are easy to ingest with less hassle and are time-saving. Although doctors have made it clear that there is no replacement of nutrients obtained directly from the food source, people still spend a significant amount of money on pills due to their convenience. Additionally another reason is the appealing design of the supplement bottle with full information of all nutrients available attract customer to spend money.

To promote a healthy lifestyle, people must be persuaded to start eating healthy foods like fruits, nuts and vegetables which are a direct source of many nutrients altogether. From ages, people have relied on a nutritious diet to stay active and energetic. Governments must encourage healthy eating by controlling their prices and increasing their availability to common people. For example, in many countries organic food is cheaper than fast-food to promote wellness.

In conclusion, multivitamin tablets are an attractive and convenient way to fill nutritional gaps. However, vitamins processed in a laboratory can never be a replacement of naturally grown food.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the popularity of vitamin pills and methods to encourage a healthier diet. The ideas are relevant, such as the convenience of pills and the role of government policy in food pricing. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The explanation regarding 'brand endorsements' in the first paragraph is a bit vague, and the second paragraph could benefit from more specific examples of how to persuade people beyond just price control. Overall, the position is clear, and the response covers all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main questions. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the discussion of pharmaceutical companies and the convenience of pills is a bit abrupt. Nevertheless, the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some good collocations like 'sedentary lifestyle', 'nutritional gaps', and 'organic food'. However, there are a few minor errors, such as 'pharmacuetical' (spelling) and 'from ages' (should be 'for ages'). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, but it lacks the sophistication or precision required for a higher band score. The repetition of 'spend money' could also be improved with more varied synonyms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'easier to ingest than real food' lacks a subject, and 'attract customer to spend' should be 'attracts customers to spend'. There are also minor punctuation and article errors throughout the text. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The control of complex structures is present but not always error-free.

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

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