Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-05
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 5.5)
Yes, I agree with the statement that nowadays people are preferring outdoor and frozen foods instead of home-cooked food. Today the world is more socialized, and everyone want entertainment by going outside and enjoy food. Main advantage of eating outside is to avoid mobile screen which has badly affected us to being socialized. People love gathering and have gossips by eating outside. They got fresh environment which give refresher to their mind. They are tired of working and seek for peaceful environment to eat outside. Secondly, the frozen food is also preferred just because of its quick preparation and have good taste. We don't need to spend time on the preparation. Just grab the food, heat it and eat.
On the other hand, the consequence of eating outside is severely impacting our health and physical fitness. Food in restaurants are mostly oily and unhygienic. We should avoid as much as we can. Outside and frozen food are also expensive to our pockets and spoiled our monthly budget.
If we start preparing food on home having all fresh and healthy ingredients, It not only fruitful for our physical fitness but also beneficial for our mental health as well. Although, it took time to prepare and demand our effort, but it provide us a lot of saving on our monthly budgets.
So, at the end, i will prefer always to cook on home and avoid food outside.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of the topic. However, the essay fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the position is clear, the arguments are somewhat superficial and lack the depth required for a higher band. For instance, the discussion on 'socialization' and 'health' is brief and could have been expanded with more specific examples or logical consequences. Because the response is under-length, it cannot be fully developed, leading to a lower score in this criterion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. There is a basic attempt at using cohesive devices such as 'Secondly', 'On the other hand', and 'So, at the end'. However, the transitions between sentences are sometimes mechanical or abrupt. The progression of ideas is clear, but the lack of sufficient length limits the complexity of the paragraph structure. Referencing is generally clear, but the overall flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'eating outside', 'good taste', and 'fresh and healthy' are common and lack the precision expected at higher levels. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'socialized' instead of 'social' and 'refresher to their mind' instead of 'refreshing'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and the student struggles to incorporate less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions effectively. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'everyone want' (subject-verb agreement), 'It not only fruitful' (missing verb), and 'it took time' (tense inconsistency). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The student needs to focus on subject-verb agreement, consistent verb tenses, and the correct use of auxiliary verbs.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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