Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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)

Nowadays, doctors often advise people that a balanced and nutritious diet can provide all the vitamins and minerals their body require. Despite this advise, many people continue to spend considerable amount of money on vitamins supplements. This essay will discuss the reasons for this behavior and suggest possible ways to encourage people to improve their diet instead.

To commence with, there are numerous reasons why people prefer to buy vitamins supplements. One major reason is that they are convenient. In today’s busy lifestyle many people do not have enough time to prepare healthy meals or carefully plan their diet. Taking a tablet is much easier than purchasing, preparing and cooking a variety of nutritious food. Another major reason is influence of advertisement and social media. To explicit more, supplement companies often promote their products as an easy way to improve energy, immunity system and general health. As a result, people may believe that taking a tablet is much easier and more convenient rather than changing a eating habit. For instance, a person who works long hours may prefer taking pills every morning rather than preparing a healthy meal, containing fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

There are several ways to persuade people to choose a healthier diet. The first and foremost possible way is not only government but also health organizations could conduct health awareness public campaigns in which people could get to know about the benefits of adopting healthier diet. These campaigns could provide simple information of affordable and nutritious meals and explain that supplements should not automatically replace a balance diet. Second, schools could teach basic and healthy nutrition skills from an early age. This could help them develop good eating habit that continuous into adulthood. Finally, government could encourage healthier food choices by making fresh fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods more affordable and accessible. For example, supermarket could provide discount on fresh fruits and vegetables and schools could provide nutritious meals.

In conclusion, people mainly spend money on pills and vitamins because they are easily available and convenient and advertisement has created the impression that supplements are easy solution to health concerns. However, proper education, general awareness and better access to healthy and nutritious foods can encourage people to improve and follow healthy diet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt. It clearly discusses why some people spend a lot of money on vitamin pills, pointing out factors like busy lifestyles, convenience, and advertising. Furthermore, it offers well-developed solutions for how people can be persuaded to improve their diet, including government public awareness campaigns, school education on nutrition, and making fresh foods more affordable and accessible. The position is clear throughout, and the main ideas are well extended and supported with relevant examples, such as working long hours and supermarket discounts. The requirements of the task are thoroughly fulfilled, matching the Band 7 descriptor criteria well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, such as the reasons for buying supplements in the second paragraph and the persuasion methods in the third paragraph. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader, including phrases like 'To commence with', 'Another major reason', and 'Finally'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. Although referencing is mostly clear, a few cohesive links feel slightly formulaic, which places this text solidly within the Band 7 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to good range of vocabulary appropriate for the task, successfully using terms like 'nutritious diet', 'convenient', 'immunity system', and 'accessible'. There are, however, some minor lexical errors and inappropriate word forms, such as writing 'body require' instead of 'body requires', 'advise' instead of 'advice', and 'changing a eating habit' instead of 'changing eating habits'. Phrases like 'To explicit more' are awkward and non-standard. Despite these occasional slips and inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to allow smooth communication, aligning closely with Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6 descriptor profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures, such as in 'a person who works long hours may prefer taking pills...'. There are several grammatical and mechanical errors present, including subject-verb agreement issues ('body require', 'supermarket could provide') and missing articles ('a balance diet', 'adopting healthier diet'). Punctuation and word forms also show minor weaknesses ('immuniity system', 'continuous into adulthood'). However, these errors rarely impede communication, and the majority of sentences are understandable, supporting a Band 6 score.

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.