Don't think of the 2 and the b as being together. If you mentally separate the 8/16 from the a^15 b/a^4 b^6, you end up with 1/2 when you reduce the 8/16 to lowest terms. You dont need to show the 1 on top in your answer because it would be like 1 times a^11. The 2 stays on the bottom with the b^5.
That's how I understand it in my head! Lol! Hope this helps!