Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

The majority of population prefers takeaway meals or packed items as compared to the personally cooked meals to fulfill most of their diet. Although this growing trend has numerous advantages, its disadvantages cannot be overlooked.

First advantageous factor is that it allow individuals to save most of their time which enables them to finish their other work-related important tasks on timely manner rather than spending hours on cooking meals. For example, employees who are living alone prefers convivence foods or eating out and it enables them to to submit their assignments on-time without missing the deadlines. Another significant advantage is that due to increasing prices in grocery items, takeaway meals has become convenient as it not only provides financial relief but it can also saves energy. This is because cooking at home requires huge amount of time and energy as compared to ordering from local restaurants which becomes available with just one click online.

On the other hand, excessive reliance on packed foods may lead to serious health issues. If someone is eating out on regular basis it may raise several issues because such meals often lack cleanliness and, are high in spices and, oils. For Instance, recent survey showed that individuals who rely on convenience food are suffering from serious health challenges such as obesity, thyroid or cholesterol, making it difficult for them to live a healthy lives.

In conclusion, the dependence on home-cooked meals is decreasing due to the heavy reliance on fast foods among masses. Despite eating out provides tremendous pros as it saves most of their time and energy, it raises many health related challenges and its effects are substantial and far-reaching.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of relying on convenience food. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding the cost-effectiveness of takeaway meals is debatable and could have been supported with more nuanced reasoning, as home-cooking is often cheaper. The examples provided, such as the mention of a 'recent survey', are generic. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, detailed explanations and ensure that your arguments are logically sound and fully explored.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'Another significant advantage', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly repetitive. Additionally, some transitions between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the flow of ideas. The referencing is generally clear, but there are instances where the connection between sentences could be tighter to enhance the overall progression of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'convenience foods', 'financial relief', and 'far-reaching'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'packed items' instead of 'packaged meals' and 'on timely manner' instead of 'in a timely manner'. While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, the precision is occasionally lacking. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it does not consistently show the flexibility or sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'takeaway meals has become', 'individuals... prefers') and punctuation errors, such as unnecessary commas (e.g., 'cleanliness and, are high'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of complex sentence structures to ensure they are error-free. The current level of accuracy is consistent with a band 6, as the errors are frequent but do not cause significant difficulty for the reader.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.