Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-12

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)

It is a common practice these days to utilize frozen foods instead of home-cooked items. There are various sides to both, which will be covered below:

Time is the biggest constraint for most individuals these days. Takeaways and frozen food are the most easily available and convenient options. In order to prepare any meal, it requires time to initially procure meat and vegetables from the supermarket. To save time, people generally prefer the readily available options.

Another important factor is that most couples are working. Therefore, they do not have time to cook meals after coming back from the office. Once they return from work, they are extremely exhausted and quickly need to satisfy their appetite. Frozen food provides them with the quickest solution. Since they are half-cooked already, they can be prepared within a span of ten minutes, which is extremely efficient for the working class.

The biggest disadvantage is health-related. As per the research, the biggest cause of cancer is processed and frozen food. People continue to utilize them until they encounter a major health scare or disease. Once they get checked and the test results come back, the cause is often tied to frozen foods.

Another major downside is that the physical impact on the human body is immeasurable from constantly consuming food without any nutrition. Plenty of people suffer from high blood pressure, cholesterol, or heart-related illness due to consumption of junk food.

Based on the above examples and drawing from experience, it is highly recommended to eat home-cooked food for a healthy and safe lifestyle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question: convenience and time-saving are presented as advantages, while health concerns form the disadvantages. The examples about working couples and preparing food quickly are relevant, and your final recommendation makes your position clear. However, the discussion is uneven: the advantages are explained in two paragraphs, while the disadvantages rely mainly on broad claims about cancer and illness. These claims need careful qualification and support, and the response would be more complete if it also considered other relevant effects, such as cost, choice, or control over ingredients. Develop each main point with a specific explanation or example rather than relying on general statements such as “the biggest cause of cancer.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a concluding recommendation. The sequence is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Therefore,” “Another important factor,” and “Another major downside” help signal the direction of the argument. However, the opening promises to discuss “various sides” without clearly previewing the main points, and the conclusion recommends home cooking rather than briefly weighing both sides. Some connections are mechanical, and “Based on the above examples” is not fully accurate because the health points are asserted more than illustrated. Use clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and make the conclusion summarise the balance of advantages and disadvantages.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “readily available,” “exhausted,” “processed,” and “high blood pressure.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, and you attempt some more formal phrasing. However, several expressions are imprecise or repetitive: “utilize” appears more than once, “home-cooked items” is less natural than “home-cooked meals,” and “the physical impact … is immeasurable” does not clearly express the intended health effects. “As per the research” is also an awkward way to introduce evidence. Aim for more precise collocations and avoid presenting broad health claims as established facts unless you can qualify them. Greater variety in terms for convenience food and its effects would strengthen the vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “Once they return from work” and “Since they are half-cooked already.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and punctuation generally supports the paragraph structure. Some grammatical constructions are awkward or incomplete, however. In “In order to prepare any meal, it requires time,” the opening phrase does not connect correctly to the subject; write, for example, “Preparing a meal requires time.” “The biggest cause of cancer is processed and frozen food” also has an unclear singular-plural relationship. Review sentence construction and agreement, and vary your structures while keeping the subject and verb relationships clear.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.