Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

People should never eat meat because raising animals for human consumption is cruel.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 7.0)

It is often argued that people should avoid non-vegetarian food as livestock farming solely for the purpose of satisfying human hunger is cruelty. I agree with this school of thought because human needs can be met by consuming other products and it interferes with earth's ecological cycle.

On the one hand, earth's food chain is balanced naturally. Carnivores like lion, tiger, vultures, eagles, and others eat other animals and balance the food chain. Rearing animals just for the humans can cause more demand than the supply in this ecosystem, which in turn a disbalance in the natural process. For example, to satisfy the need for approximately 7 billion people, more animals will be reared and slaughtered, in turn leaving less food for forest animals behind. As a result, the natural food chain will be hampered leaving a gap in the demand and supply. Therefore, the forest animals will be subjected to conditions like starvation, weakness, and untimely death.

On the other hand, mankind can survive by staying herbivores throughout the lifetime. Vegetarian options like plants, pulses, cereals, fruits, vegetables, lentils, dairy products, and others provide the same amount of nutrition as much obtained from consuming meat. Moreover, plant-based food is highly nutritious as it doesn't elevate cholesterol, fatty liver, and blood sugar, which is elevated by animal food. For example- people eating chicken, meat, seafood, and other animal products suffer from heart disease. Therefore, plant-based meals are a safer option to live longer and disease-free.

To conclude, humans should prefer farm-grown food over animals to increase their lifespan and foster ecological balance on the planet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses the prompt clearly and maintains a consistent position throughout. You have provided two main supporting arguments: the ecological impact of livestock farming and the nutritional viability of a plant-based diet. While the ideas are relevant, they could be further developed with more specific evidence or nuanced analysis. For instance, the claim that rearing animals for 7 billion people causes a 'disbalance' is a good starting point, but it lacks specific data or a more sophisticated explanation of the environmental mechanisms involved. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task well, though the depth of the arguments remains at a general level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'Therefore' to guide the reader through your arguments. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the link between the food chain argument and the conclusion about forest animals is a bit repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the progression of ideas is clear, which satisfies the requirements for a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision, such as 'ecological cycle', 'livestock farming', and 'nutritional'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'staying herbivores' (should be 'adopting a herbivorous diet') and 'elevate cholesterol' (usually 'raise' or 'increase'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the phrasing is occasionally slightly unnatural. The range is adequate for the task, and your meaning is always clear, but more sophisticated collocations would be needed to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are recurring grammatical errors, such as 'which in turn a disbalance' (missing a verb) and 'as much obtained from' (awkward phrasing). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article usage issues, such as 'earth's ecological cycle' (should be 'the Earth's'). Despite these errors, the communication is not impeded, and you show a reasonable level of control over complex structures. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring all clauses have a clear main verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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