Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-13

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)

In today's fast paced life, a wide range of people depend upon the restaurants and frozen food which are available in convenience stores instead of home made foods. This current trend has both merits and demerits which will explain in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, there are some advantages that can be considered to support this factor. One significant advantage is that people can save time through ready- to -eat meals which could be beneficial because they can use this time for other productive things. For instance, according to data from University of Toronto, nowadays 70% of individuals prefer to eat in hotels because of their hectic schedules. Another benefit is that one can get a variety of tasty food under one roof at restaurants and cafes. In addition, purchasing packing food is cheaper.

On the other hand, downsides cannot be ignored. First and foremost, food from restaurants has more calories, fat, sugars which can lead obesity and other health-related issues for humans. Moreover, eating outside in restaurants are expensive as compared to food which are prepare at home. To exemplify this, due to high cost, people prefer to organize parties at house because of price and in this way, they do not have to wait for a longer time.

In conclusion, I would like to restate that enjoying packed food and eating out at restaurants have their own pros and cons; however, it depends upon people's choices, situations. Other than that home-made food is always on the top rather than anything.

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 ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding cost is contradictory; you mention that 'purchasing packing food is cheaper' in the second paragraph, but then state that 'eating outside in restaurants are expensive' in the third. While you distinguish between convenience food and restaurants, the lack of clear distinction makes the argument feel slightly underdeveloped. To reach a higher band, ensure your supporting points are consistent and fully explored with more depth.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise. For example, the transition between the benefits of restaurants and the cost of convenience food could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the overall progression of ideas would benefit from more sophisticated linking words and better management of cohesive devices to avoid a repetitive structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'convenience stores', 'hectic schedules', and 'health-related issues'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'purchasing packing food' (should be 'packaged food') and 'food which are prepare at home' (should be 'prepared'). The range of vocabulary is sufficient to communicate, but it lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands. Expanding your range to include more precise academic collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and pluralization, such as 'eating outside in restaurants are expensive' (should be 'is') and 'food which are prepare' (should be 'is prepared'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in spacing around hyphens in 'ready- to -eat'. To improve, focus on ensuring that your verbs agree with their subjects and that your complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy to minimize these persistent errors.

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