Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-03

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 5.0)

It has been discovered that most people rely on outside food rather than home -cooked food. This lifestyle has more disadvantages than advantages.

People who are relying on restaurants and convenience food are having busy schedule . Often they do overtime and depend on 2 jobs . Having less time for cooking make them habitual of eating outside as a result they are more prone to diseases. As it is best saying that " Excessive use of anything become poison". There are so many antioxidants added so that packed food remain fresh and can be used for long time but those antioxidants not always healthy for humans and condition got worsen on daily basis use.

However , the only advantage we can consider is time-saving . People who cannot get time for cooking finds its easy and quickest way just to microwave and grill the packed food instead of spending time for cooking .

To sum up , even use of frozen food and packed meal

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 166 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the essay identifies both advantages and disadvantages, the discussion is superficial. The points regarding health risks and time-saving are mentioned but not sufficiently extended or supported with detailed examples. The conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence. To improve, you must expand on your arguments with specific illustrations and ensure the response is of sufficient length to allow for a full exploration of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression is hindered by the incomplete nature of the text. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However' and 'To sum up', but they are basic. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the lack of a completed conclusion disrupts the overall flow of the argument. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas more fluidly and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence followed by supporting evidence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. Phrases like 'having busy schedule' and 'condition got worsen' show issues with collocation and grammatical form. There is some attempt at topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'antioxidants' and 'convenience food', but the overall range is limited. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and idiomatic expressions, and pay closer attention to word forms and collocations to ensure your writing sounds more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'Having less time for cooking make them habitual' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'As it is best saying that' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and sentence construction. Aim to reduce the frequency of errors by proofreading your work for common mistakes in tense and article usage.

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

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