Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-29

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)

Most of the people are using or liking the fast and easy meals. As some people are trying to make some time in their day-to-day life for cooking, while the others depend on frozen, packed, outside food like restaurants, and catering services.

On one hand, If the person is so busy with his daily routine or tasks it is better to choose the frozen meals or to eat packed food like cooking at once for five to ten days. It all depends on ones health condition and body resistance to maintain the habits. By doing this method, people have more time to do any other things like working additional works, doing multiple jobs, and taking time to rest or relax after work.

On the other hand, home-cooked meals are the best for any type of individual or family irrespective of their health conditions. I personally prefer self-cooked food rather than packed or frozen . Why because, we can cook the food on our own choice and style. In addition, we can limit any ingredients according to our diet plan. Most importantly, we do this whenever we like. There is no time constraint like their is no food in after hours.

In conclusion, both aspects have their own advantages and disadvantages which totally relies on the individual or the family. However, considering the long-term health it is best to rely on self-cooked meals to maintain better health condition. As an examples, we can check any scenario in physical or mental issues. Half the problem is due to the food intakes we consume. In my opinion, One should take care of his or her own well being to have a peaceful and healthy lifestyle.

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 restaurants and convenience foods. The writer establishes a position, noting that while convenience meals save time for busy individuals, home-cooked food is ultimately better for long-term health. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed, particularly in the body paragraphs where points are asserted rather than fully extended with specific examples or deep analysis. For instance, the advantage of saving time is mentioned ('working additional works, doing multiple jobs'), but the discussion remains superficial. The conclusion touches upon health issues but lacks the robust extension expected for higher bands. Overall, the response fulfills the basic requirements of the task, earning a solid Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is organized into four distinct paragraphs, including a clear introduction and conclusion. Logical organization is generally present, with standard signposting phrases such as 'On one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In conclusion' used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'doing this method' or 'by doing this,' which lack a precise antecedent. Furthermore, sentence-to-sentence transitions in the second body paragraph feel disjointed due to abrupt shifts between ideas, such as moving from diet plans to time constraints with the expression 'there is no food in after hours.' Paragraphing is used appropriately, but overall cohesive control remains at a Band 6 level.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday ideas related to diet, routines, and lifestyle. There are attempts to incorporate less common or topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'convenience food,' 'catering services,' and 'diet plan.' However, word choice and collocation are frequently awkward or imprecise. Examples include 'doing additional works' instead of 'doing extra work,' 'body resistance,' and the colloquial phrasing 'Why because,' which is inappropriate for an IELTS essay. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical errors and awkward phrasing cause some minor strain for the reader, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like conditional clauses ('If the person is so busy...') and relative clauses. However, control over grammar is inconsistent, and frequent errors persist throughout the text. There are issues with article usage ('Most of the people'), subject-verb agreement or redundancy ('Most of the people are using or liking'), and awkward prepositional phrases ('relies on the individual'). Punctuation errors also occur, such as the unnecessary comma splice in 'On one hand, If the person...' and the stray period before 'frozen .' While these errors do not completely impede communication, they prevent the essay from achieving a higher score, making Band 5.5 a fair representation of the grammatical control demonstrated.

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

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