Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-27
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)
In modern society, it is common to see a number of individuals choose outlet foods rather than homemade food for eating, as there are a number of pros and cons which are discussed below.
On the one hand, the pro is that it is time-saving. because in this modern era, most of the people are busy with their own work schedules so they have less time for spending with their families to reduce stress but , as people orders their food form Oultelt it is not only help in saving their time but also give chance to spending more time with their family members . For instance, a recent survey conclude that 90 percent people are more happy when they spend more time with their families .
On the other hand , Negative part of this trend also should not be ignore the one of the reason is unhealthy . Because as people starts eating packaged food individuals face more obesity problems as compared to home made food because it is not made with good substances which harmful to mass body . For Example , a data collected by Aims doctor it is clearly stated that people become unhealthy when they eat restaurants food rather than home made food due to which people face more heart problems than past .
In conclusion , there are more disadvantages of eating frozen foods rather than cooking food . so , i think people should avoid convenience food and start eating well healthy food .
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of the topic. However, the development of ideas is limited. For instance, the argument regarding time-saving is supported by a vague reference to a survey, and the discussion on health risks lacks depth, relying on general statements like 'not made with good substances.' The position is clear, but the supporting points are somewhat superficial and lack the necessary detail to fully explore the implications of the trend. To improve, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or logical explanations of how these factors impact society.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the transition 'because in this modern era' is used incorrectly at the start of a sentence, and the punctuation around 'but ,' is inconsistent. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'the one of the reason is unhealthy,' which disrupts the flow of ideas. While there is a logical progression, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the frequent errors in sentence-level cohesion limit the score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic terms like 'outlet foods,' 'good substances,' and 'mass body,' which are not natural collocations in English. There are also several spelling errors, such as 'Oultelt' and 'ignore' (used as a verb where a noun or different structure was needed). To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more academic vocabulary and ensuring that words are used in their correct context, such as using 'processed foods' instead of 'packaged food' or 'nutritional value' instead of 'good substances.'
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'people starts eating,' 'data... it is clearly stated'), missing articles, and incorrect word order. Punctuation is also problematic, particularly with the misuse of commas and the frequent use of sentence fragments. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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