Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-03

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 6.0)

Nowadays, instead of home made meals, an increasing number of individuals prefer to depend on fast foods for their daily meals. Although this can be beneficial, there are also drawbacks which will be discussed in this essay.

To begin with, food gotten from eateries are always faster and cheaper. This has made a lot of individuals especially those who are occupied with work and won’t have the time to make meals by themselves opted for restaurants. Foods such as rice, instant noodles and pasta are prepared already by these restaurants, people can easily work in and buy what they are craving for, or they can have the food delivered to their preferred location. Due to this reason, there is an increasing number of demand in the availability of restaurants just to meet the needs the diet needs of the population.

However, there are certain health risks that comes with eating food that are not home made. This is because such food sometimes does not contain the adequate nutrients to sustain life. For instance, restaurant tend to manage their ingredients like fresh meat in meals just to have a high quantity but they end up giving low quality dishes. Also home made food are cost effective. They save money while still maintaining standard in the food like the taste. In addition, the individual is aware of how the food is being prepared, whether it is in a clean environment and if a good hygiene was maintained while the meal was prepared.

In conclusion, even though eating from restaurants is faster, it is also a fact that food cooked at home are more healthier and packed with nutrients. I strongly believe there should be a balance between eating healthy and eating unhealthy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of relying on convenience food. The position is clear, and the main ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on health risks is a bit general, and the argument regarding cost-effectiveness could be supported with more specific examples or deeper analysis. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more detailed explanations or concrete illustrations. The conclusion provides a summary, but it introduces a slightly vague final thought about a 'balance' that was not previously developed in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'However', and 'In addition' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the progression is generally smooth, some of the linking is slightly mechanical. For example, the transition between the discussion of restaurant convenience and the health risks could be more fluid. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'Due to this reason' which follows a list of examples rather than a clear preceding argument. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the clarity of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'cost-effective' and 'sustain life', which are used correctly. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor collocation errors, such as 'food gotten from eateries' (better: 'food obtained from restaurants') and 'work in' (likely meant 'walk in'). The repetition of words like 'food' and 'meals' suggests a limited range of synonyms. To improve, focus on using more varied vocabulary to describe the quality of food and the nature of convenience.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'health risks that comes' (should be 'come') and 'restaurant tend' (should be 'restaurants tend'). There are also minor errors with articles and prepositions, such as 'the diet needs of the population' (should be 'the dietary needs'). Despite these errors, the reader is not significantly impeded, and the sentence structures are varied enough to convey the intended message effectively.

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

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