Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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 7.0)

Doctors tell us that people can get the vitamins they need by following a healthy and balanced diet. However, many people still spend a considerable amount of money on vitamin pills. There are several reasons for this, and people can be encouraged to improve their diet in a number of ways.

One main reason why people buy vitamin pills is that they believe these supplements are a quick and easy way to improve their health. Modern lifestyles can be very busy, and some people do not have enough time to prepare healthy meals. As a result, taking a pill may seem much easier than regularly eating fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods. Another reason is advertising. Vitamin companies often promote their products as an easy solution for tiredness, weak immunity or other health concerns. This can make people believe that supplements are necessary even when they already have a reasonably healthy diet.

People could be persuaded to improve their diet through better health education. Schools, workplaces and healthcare professionals could explain the importance of eating a balanced diet and provide simple information about foods that contain essential vitamins. For example, people could be shown that fruits and vegetables, eggs, fish, dairy products and whole grains can provide many important nutrients. This would help people understand that healthy food can be a natural source of vitamins.

Governments could also run public awareness campaigns about healthy eating. These campaigns could use television, social media and other popular platforms to encourage people to choose nutritious food instead of relying unnecessarily on supplements. In addition, making healthy food more affordable could encourage people to change their eating habits.

In conclusion, people often spend money on vitamin pills because they are convenient and heavily promoted. However, better education, public awareness and affordable healthy food could encourage people to obtain the nutrients they need through a balanced diet.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall7.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by clearly explaining both why some people spend a lot of money on vitamin pills and how they could be persuaded to improve their diet. The position is well-developed throughout. In the body paragraphs, the student provides clear reasons for the popularity of supplements, such as perceived convenience and aggressive advertising, and then offers practical, well-extended solutions like health education and public awareness campaigns. Examples such as 'fruits and vegetables, eggs, fish, dairy products and whole grains' are effectively incorporated to support the second part of the prompt. The ideas are relevant, thoroughly explored, and logically extended without irrelevant digressions. This performance fully meets the criteria for Band 8.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently linked, starting with a concise introduction that sets out the scope of the response. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with distinct paragraphs dedicated to the causes of vitamin pill usage and the potential solutions for improving diets. Cohesive devices such as 'However', 'As a result', 'Another reason', and 'In addition' are used effectively to connect sentences and paragraphs. Referencing is clear and unambiguous, ensuring the reader can effortlessly follow the line of argument from beginning to end. Overall, cohesion is well managed, fitting comfortably within Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary with adequate flexibility and precision for the task. Less common lexical items are employed appropriately, such as 'considerable amount', 'nutritious foods', 'weak immunity', and 'public awareness campaigns'. Word choices and collocations are generally accurate, and there are no noticeable spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. While the vocabulary is functional and supports the clear communication of ideas, it stops just short of the wide, flexible range and skilful deployment of uncommon items required for Band 8. Therefore, a Band 7 is entirely appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response features a good variety of complex sentence structures used alongside simpler forms, demonstrating good control of grammar and punctuation. Examples of complex structures include 'One main reason why people buy vitamin pills is that they believe...' and 'This would help people understand that healthy food can be a natural source of vitamins.' The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout the text. While minor slips or slightly restricted sentence variety prevent the response from reaching Band 8, the grammatical control is consistently strong and well above Band 6.

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