Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-21

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 6.5)

the issue of whether people should stop eating meat because raising animals for human consumption is cruel has become increasingly debated.While i agree that animals should be trated humanely,i do not completely agree that people should never eat meat.

On the one hand,there are numerous reasons why some people believe that eating meat is unethical.The prime reason among them is that,in many farming systems,animals are kept in small spaces and may not have enough freedom to move naturally.In addition,some farms use practices that can cause animals unnecessary pain and stress.For example,chickens and pigs may be raised in overcrowded conditions simply to increase production and reduce costs.From an ethical perspactive,improving animal welfare and reducing unnecessary suffering are therefore important responsibilities for the food industry.

However,completely avoiding meat may not be necessary for everyone as meat is an important source of protien,iron,vitamin B12 and other nutrients,particularly for people who have difficulty to obtain these nutrients from plant based foods.Furthermore,not all meat production involves the same level of animal suffering.Some farmers raise animals in more natural environments and follow higher animal welfare standards.Instead of completely banning meat consumption,governments and consumers could encourage these practices and reduce demand for meat produced under cruel conditions.

In conclusion,people should be encouraged to reduce their meat consumption and choose products from farms that provide human conditions for animals.Meanwhile,individuals should have the freedom to include meat in their diets if they choose to do so.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task, presenting a clear position throughout the essay. The introduction outlines both sides of the argument, acknowledging animal welfare concerns while disagreeing with a total ban on meat consumption. Body paragraphs are relevant and well-structured, exploring ethical issues in farming systems alongside the nutritional benefits of meat and alternative farming practices. However, there is a penalty applied because the text contains only 237 words, failing to meet the minimum requirement of 250 words. Despite the well-developed ideas, this length shortfall restricts the score under the task achievement criteria to a Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organisation throughout. Paragraphs are used appropriately to separate different facets of the argument, starting with the introduction, moving to ethical concerns, then exploring nutritional and production alternatives, and concluding effectively. Cohesive devices such as "On the one hand," "In addition," "However," and "In conclusion" are employed logically to guide the reader through the text, although some spacing errors around punctuation slightly disrupt the flow. Referencing is generally clear, resulting in a cohesive and coherent response that aligns well with the requirements for Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like "ethical perspective," "animal welfare standards," and "nutritional benefits." Less common lexical items are attempted, such as "overcrowded conditions" and "unnecessary suffering." However, there are a few minor spelling and word-choice inaccuracies, such as "trated" instead of treated, "perspactive" instead of perspective, and "protien" instead of protein. Additionally, phrasing like "difficulty to obtain" instead of difficulty obtaining slightly detracts from precision. These issues place the lexical resource firmly within the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional structures and dependent clauses effectively (e.g., "While i agree that animals should be trated humanely,i do not completely agree that people should never eat meat"). There are several mechanical errors regarding punctuation and spacing, such as missing spaces after commas and periods throughout the essay, as well as a capitalization error with the pronoun "i". Despite these repeated mechanical flaws, the grammatical structures themselves are largely functional and rarely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6.0 score.

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