Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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)

Doctors say that people can get all the vitamins they need from a healthy and balanced diet. However, many people still spend a lot of money on vitamin pills. This essay will discuss why people choose supplements and how they can be encouraged to improve their diet instead.

There are several reasons why people spend money on vitamin pills. First, many people have busy lifestyles and do not have enough time to prepare healthy meals. Therefore, taking a vitamin tablet seems to be an easy and quick solution. Second, advertisements often make people believe that vitamin supplements can improve their health, increase energy and prevent diseases. For example, a person who feels tired may buy vitamin tablets instead of changing their eating habits. In addition, some people may think that making supplements is safer and more convenient than planning a balanced diet.

However, people should be encouraged to get vitamins naturally through healthy food. One effective way is to provide better education about nutrition in schools and workplaces. People should learn which foods contain important vitamins and why a balanced diet is necessary. Governments could also run public campaigns that explain the benefits of eating fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and other nutritious food. Another useful method is to make healthy food more affordable. For example, supermarkets could offer discounts on fresh fruits and vegetables, making them easier for families to buy.

In conclusion, people often buy vitamin pills because they are convenient, influenced by advertising, and have busy lifestyles. However, education, public awareness and affordable healthy food can encourage people to improve their diets. In my opinion, eating a balanced diet is better long-term choice than depending on vitamin supplements.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student fully addresses all parts of the task by clearly explaining why people spend money on vitamin pills, such as busy lifestyles and aggressive advertising, and suggests logical ways to persuade people to improve their diets through education and affordability. A clear position is maintained throughout the response, and the ideas are well supported with relevant examples like feeling tired or offering supermarket discounts. This performance satisfies the Band 7 criteria, as all parts of the prompt are addressed with clear supporting evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the reasons for buying supplements, solutions for improving diets, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'Second', 'In addition', and 'However' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, satisfying the standards for a solid band 7.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate and appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'supplements', 'eating habits', 'nutrition', and 'public campaigns'. While the language is generally natural and precise enough to communicate ideas clearly, there is a limited use of more sophisticated or uncommon lexical items. Minor collocation choices are safe rather than ambitious. Consequently, the lexical resource fits comfortably within the band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures effectively. Grammatical control is generally strong, with frequent error-free sentences, such as 'Doctors say that people can get all the vitamins they need from a healthy and balanced diet.' Punctuation and sentence structures are well handled, and occasional minor flaws do not impede communication at all. This aligns well with the band 7 descriptors for grammatical control.

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