Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-11

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)

Dear Sir,

At the present few individual believe that eating at resturant is better instead than own cooked food at home, i strong agree that home made cook is better, resturant food froze, not pure while own cooked food is fresh and healthy.

Nowedays, some persons is thinking that taking resturant food is saved time, forexample if someone working long time in job so it is better for them to eat in resturant and used this time in other activtes, moreover the frozen food is not good for health and could be a reason of the alot health issue.. Eating at resturant have spending alot money, like a family have four member eating three times in week having spending more money than prepared at home.

Secondly, cooking at home is more better rather than resturant, we can cook whatever we want to cook, forexemple in home we can cook fresh vegitable, with less oil and other in griendents, while at the resturant you have eat whatever is prepared, you have to eat according the resturant menue. Moreover home food is convient for health and have good time for consume in the cooking

In my opion, the resturant food is good to save time, but spend more money and the quality of food is not healthy, at the other hand home cooked food is more better then resturant food, we can cook fresh food in home and an order we like and need to our health, home cooked food also cheaper than resturant food and much healthy than resturant.

Yours faithfully,

XYZ

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question by noting that restaurant food can save time, while home cooking may be healthier and cheaper. Your final paragraph also makes your preference for home-cooked food clear. However, the discussion is uneven: the time-saving advantage is only briefly explained, and the disadvantages of convenience food are asserted rather than supported with specific reasons or examples. The task asks for advantages as well as disadvantages, so develop both sides more evenly—for example, explain when packaged meals are useful and give a concrete example of how frequent restaurant meals affect a household budget. Your position is present, but it shifts from discussing the question to strongly arguing that home cooking is better; keep the comparison focused throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening, two body paragraphs and a concluding opinion. Sequencing words such as “Secondly” and “Moreover” help signal additions, and the reader can generally identify the main contrast between convenience and home cooking. However, progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow because several points are joined into long, loosely connected sentences. For instance, the sentence beginning “Nowedays” moves from saving time to health risks and then cost without clearly separating these ideas. Some linking phrases are repeated or do not show the relationship precisely. Give each paragraph a clear focus, use shorter sentences to develop one point at a time, and make references such as “this” or “it” explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use a basic range of topic vocabulary, including “frozen food,” “fresh,” “healthy,” “save time” and “spending money,” which makes the general subject understandable. There are also attempts to express comparison and choice, such as “whatever we want to cook.” However, vocabulary is repetitive and several word choices or spellings make the message less clear, including “resturant,” “convinient,” “activtes” and “griendents.” Phrases such as “home made cook” and “good time for consume in the cooking” are not natural English collocations. Build a more accurate set of phrases for discussing convenience, nutrition and cost, and check spelling and word forms. This will help you express the same ideas more precisely without relying repeatedly on “better” and “food.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, and the response includes some subordinate clauses, such as “if someone working long time in job” and “while at the restaurant…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, articles and punctuation frequently make the reader work to understand the meaning. Examples include “some persons is thinking,” “eating at restaurant have spending,” and “you have eat whatever is prepared.” Several sentences also run together, particularly the second paragraph, where full stops or clearer clause boundaries are needed. Practise forming accurate basic sentences first, then add subordinate clauses with correct verb forms—for example, “People who work long hours may save time by eating out.” Careful proofreading for sentence boundaries will also improve clarity.

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