Many people say that smoking should be banned while others say it is not a good idea. What is your opinion on this? Use your own experience
Sample Response
A complete ban on smoking is controversial as many people strongly support such a banstrongly support it while others disagree. In many countries, public smoking is bannedforbidden, but it is still widespread elsewherein many other countries. I, however, believe that smoking should be banned, but the ban shouldsmoking should be banned, but it should be done slowly and with careful planning and phased stepsproper planning and steps. First of all, smoking is severely detrimental to public health. It causes lung cancer which can ultimately be fatalwhich ultimately leads to death. Secondly, smoking is a significantcomplete waste of money, and addiction to smoking sometimes leads to dependence on other illegal substancesenslavement to other illegal substances. Eventually, many addicted people get involved in different types of crimes to manage the money they need to abuse illegal substances. Finally, smoking not only harms smokers but also people around themthe smoker but also the people around them. Recent studiesRecent studies on smoking suggest that passive smoking is as harmful as active smoking. Having said that, the tobacco industry is a major source of tax revenuea huge source of tax for the government. The governmentauthority makes the best useutilization of the tax money by building schools, parks, overhaulingoverhaul streets and other public facilities that serve ordinary people. Millions of people work in tobaccocigarette-related industries, and if smoking is banned completely, these people will lose their jobs. Some smokers believe that smoking relieves them from tension and stress, though it has not been scientifically proven. Finally, some people think that banning smoking is like restricting people's freedom. In conclusion, I believe that the government should take a measured approach totake initiatives rationally about prohibiting smoking. Public smoking should be prohibited and any violation of this rule should be penalized, but a complete ban on smoking should be made slowly and with proper planning.
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response states a clear, nuanced position and considers both the public-health case for prohibition and practical objections to an immediate ban. Its reasoning is generally relevant, but some claims are briefly asserted, the requested personal experience is absent, and the single-paragraph presentation weakens organisation. The highest-priority improvement is to group and extend the main arguments in distinct paragraphs with more specific support.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response answers the opinion question clearly and covers relevant arguments on both sides, though some support is general and the requested personal experience is omitted.
Add a specific personal or observed example and explain the strongest claims, especially the suggested link between smoking and other crime.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument follows a recognisable progression, but all ideas appear in one paragraph and several sequencing devices are used mechanically.
Separate the position, reasons for a ban, counterarguments, and conclusion into distinct paragraphs with clearer internal topic development.
Lexical Resource
There is a good range of topic-specific vocabulary, although several collocations and word choices are awkward or imprecise.
Use more natural combinations such as ‘tax revenue’, ‘reduce stress’, and ‘take a measured approach to prohibition’.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses varied complex structures with generally good control, and the few grammatical errors rarely affect clarity.
Check parallel structure and verb forms in lists, particularly constructions following prepositions such as ‘by’.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Many people say that smoking should be banned while others say it is not a good idea. What is your opinion on this? Use your own experience
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.