Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-28

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 the contemporary era, individuals have hectic schedule. A large number of people prefer readymade food as compared to food made at home, as it is easy for them. I will discuss both merits and demerits of this statement in the mentioned paragraph.

The main advantage is the saving time pf human beings. Most of the people depend on restaurant food as they have particular works to be done at specific time, so they have lack of time to prepare their food at home. For instance, international students or workers rely on tiffin service on daily basis. Additionally,some people noticed that restaurant food is convenient for them to purchase as compared to buying grocery for homemade food.

On the other hand, there are some negative effects of relying on ready made food. Some of te restaurants are not using fresh products which may cause to illness and severe health related disease. For example, a teenager died because of consuming poisoned food from one of the restaurants located nearby her house. Moreover, home made food is always considered as best because it is made by our closed ones. Many people go outside from their house to eat food as its not too expensive but it also become a barrier in relationship between their family members, For instance, people used to go restaurant for food and then to work ,so they have less time to spend with their parents.

In conclusion, there are both cons and prons of depennding on restaurant food rather than home made food. Readymade food are considered as less beneficial for human beings as they lead to illness and some diseases.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of relying on convenience food and restaurants, fulfilling the core requirements of the task. A position is presented, though the introduction is rather formulaic ('I will discuss both merits and demerits...'). Ideas are generally relevant, such as time-saving and health concerns, but they are somewhat under-developed. For instance, the example of a teenager dying from poisoned food is overly dramatic and unsupported by general likelihood. More balanced support or elaboration on nutritional aspects would enhance the response. However, the writer does cover both sides of the issue clearly enough to meet the expectations of Band 6, where all parts of the task are addressed, even if some ideas are somewhat limited or lack full extension.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is arranged into four paragraphs with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, showing an overall structure. However, logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by mechanical or faulty cohesive devices. For example, 'Additionally,some people noticed that restaurant food is...' lacks spacing after the comma, and transitions like 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion' are rather basic. Referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the sentence 'Many people go outside from their house to eat food as its not too expensive but it also become a barrier in relationship...' where clauses are awkwardly linked. Paragraphing is used, but the internal cohesion often feels disjointed. This level of organization and cohesive control aligns best with the Band 5 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'contemporary era,' 'readymade food,' and 'convenient.' There are frequent errors in word choice, spelling, and collocation, such as 'saving time pf human beings,' 'ready made' versus 'readymade,' 'home made,' and 'cons and prons' (instead of pros and cons). Expressions like 'have particular works to be done' and 'cause to illness' demonstrate awkward phrasing. While the vocabulary allows the writer to convey basic points about convenience and health risks, the numerous lexical inaccuracies place this response firmly at Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional or causal structures ('as it is easy for them' and 'so they have lack of time'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including missing articles ('a hectic schedule'), incorrect prepositions ('go outside from their house'), subject-verb agreement issues ('Readymade food are'), and tense inconsistencies ('people used to go restaurant for food and then to work ,so they have...'). Punctuation errors, such as missing spaces after commas and unnecessary spaces before punctuation, are also noticeable. Although the errors do not completely obscure the message, they cause difficulty for the reader and reflect Band 5 performance.

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

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