Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

A growing number of people rely on restaurants and convenience food (frozen food and packaged meals) rather than home-cooked food to supply most of their meals.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of eating this way?

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

Student answer (Band 5.0)

A growing number of people rely on restaurents and convenience food like frozen food and packaged meals rather than home cooked food so here is no doubt that home coocked food is good for our health but nowadays everyone is living very busy life therefore they have to depends on restaurants and convenience food because they dont have enough time to cook food for theirself . however packaged food and frozen food is very beneficial for them hence they do not need cut the vegetables and fruits it is time saving for them and easy to consume also for instance someone is getting late for their work he do not need to be panic for their lunch and breakfast he can easily prepare their food . so here is a so many benefits of frozen and packing food as long as Restaurants are also very helpful for all people who can not manage their cooking because of their work .therefor after the work they can go to restaurants for food so these are the advantages . another side home is good for health because home cooking is safe and under eyes we know what we are making and what we are using in the food .home cooking is cheaper than restaurants . Here is no doubt that frozen food and packaged food is time saving but this is not good for our health also . for instance sometimes we buy any kind of food and we eat it after that we feel vomit and fever because this food has a lot of preservatives to remain food fresh that is not safe for our health. in conclusion i can say home cooked foodv is good for our health and also money saving rather than restaurants food . and according my knowledge home cooked food is goodbratherbthan restaurants food.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question and give a clear overall preference for home-cooked food, especially in the conclusion. Relevant advantages include convenience and time saved, while the disadvantages include possible health risks and higher restaurant costs. The example of someone preparing food before work helps illustrate convenience. However, several points are asserted rather than explained: for example, the claim that packaged food can cause vomiting and fever needs clearer support, and the benefits of restaurant meals are not developed beyond helping people who cannot cook. The response therefore covers the task, but its ideas remain limited and under-developed. To strengthen it, explain each main point and use more balanced, specific examples. The response meets the required length; 10 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is a recognisable overall structure: you introduce the topic, discuss convenience and restaurants, contrast these with home cooking, and conclude. Some linking expressions, such as “for instance,” “however,” and “in conclusion,” show how you intend to connect ideas. However, the response is presented as one long paragraph, so the advantages and disadvantages are difficult to distinguish. Connectors are also overused or sometimes inaccurate: “therefor” and “so” repeatedly introduce points without making the relationship clearer, while “another side” does not smoothly signal the contrast. The conclusion repeats the preference already stated. Use separate paragraphs for the introduction, advantages, disadvantages, and conclusion, and make each paragraph develop one central idea with clear referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “convenience food,” “frozen food,” “packaged meals,” “preservatives,” and “time saving.” These terms show awareness of the subject, and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repeated, particularly “good for our health” and “home cooked food.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems, such as “restaurents,” “coocked,” “packing food,” and “feel vomit,” which make parts of the response less clear or natural. Aim to learn accurate collocations and vary repeated phrases; for example, describe food as “nutritious” or “convenient,” and say that someone “feels nauseous” rather than “feel vomit.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to connect ideas in longer sentences using words such as “because,” “therefore,” and “although,” and you communicate a basic contrast between convenience and health. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and attempts to combine several ideas often produce faulty sentences. For example, “everyone is living very busy life therefore they have to depends” has problems with articles, verb form, and sentence punctuation; “he do not need to be panic” also has errors in agreement and construction. Missing or misplaced punctuation makes sentence boundaries unclear throughout. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine related ideas accurately. Check subject–verb agreement, verb forms, articles, and punctuation, especially when using linking words.

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