Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

An increasing number of individuals nowadays prefer processed foods, such as frozen and packaged options, over homemade meals. Although this may benefit them by saving time to complete other important tasks, it can also affect their health because they may not get enough nutrition.

One benefit is that people can save time for other tasks by eating processed foods, since they do not have to cook on their own. Many regular tasks, such as completing required office work and other household chores, can be completed promptly. This is largely because frozen food and packaged food are ready to use and only require microwaving for a few minutes. At the same time, these come with suitable cutlery, thereby alleviating the requirement to clean dishes. For example, pre-cooked meat from the supermarket's bakery does not need to be cooked, which saves people valuable time.

The main disadvantage of this trend is that it affects consumers' health negatively. Most of the processed meals do not have nutritional value and are not fresh either. For instance, many additives are added to prepare frozen foods to improve shelf life, which may lead to chronic diseases, such as obesity or excessive weight gain. Consequently, regular consumers have to face many health-related issues, and sometimes those make a lifelong impact. Conversely, since home-cooked foods are often full of nutritional value and are always freshly cooked, people may improve their health conditions.

In conclusion, even though pre-cooked foods can benefit individuals by allowing them to save time for other activities, they can also lead to long-term detrimental health issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of eating restaurant and convenience food. The writer takes a clear position and supports main ideas with relevant examples, such as mentioning pre-cooked meat from a supermarket and the time-saving benefits of microwaving meals. Ideas are adequately extended, covering time management for chores and health consequences like obesity and chronic diseases. The response meets the criteria for Band 7, as all parts of the prompt are addressed with a clear position and supported ideas, though further elaboration on specific restaurant food impacts could elevate the development.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The text demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: an introduction, an advantage paragraph, a disadvantage paragraph, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, with transition signals such as 'One benefit', 'This is largely because', and 'Consequently' guiding the reader smoothly through the argument. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the essay is easy to follow. Referencing is generally clear, matching the descriptors for Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, incorporating less common lexical items such as 'alleviating', 'additives', 'nutritional value', and 'detrimental'. While word choices are generally accurate and appropriate for the topic, there are occasional minor lexical awkwardnesses, such as 'many additives are added' which is slightly repetitive. However, the vocabulary is adequate to convey precise meanings without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6.5 to 7 profile well, solidifying a score of 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over grammatical structures. Examples of complex sentences include conditional and causal clauses, such as 'Although this may benefit them by saving time... and 'since home-cooked foods are often full of nutritional value...'. Punctuation and grammar are handled well throughout, with frequent error-free sentences. Although there is a minor stylistic redundancy in 'packaged food are ready to use', overall grammatical control aligns closely with the Band 7 descriptors.

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