Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-15

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 has been often argued that a vast majority of people these days trying to switch to outside food rather than home-made food for their food source. As, there are several merits of prepared food because it is time-saving, convenient, and has variety of options. But, it should not be denied that food made at home is much more healthier and it is made in accordance to the quality standards.

Primarily, talking about food made in restaurents and convenience stores is easy to get, feasible and energy saving. Due to the sedentary lifestyle, people these days rely on fast foods. For instance, After working for long hours when they are hungry they don't want to spend their time in the kitchen to make meals for them because it's time-consuming rather they choose to order online or to go out at an eating place. we can't ignore the fact that fast-foods often lack quality as sometimes they are not made with proper care and attention according to the food safety standards. Moreover, it cost you more financially to buy processed food from outside.

On the contray, cooking from scratch gives you a sense of fulfillment and nostalgia. Food cooked at home are more relaxing and satisying even though it takes time to prepare them. They are worth to eat as these meals follows your customised culinary standards and made with much care. For your overall health, these meals are much beneficial in long-term as they are packed with nutrients that we need for our body to function well.

To sum up, processed foods do have some perks over home-made food such as wide selection of food items to explore, time-efficient, feasible and more but the gains only last for short period as it costs your health ultimately. So for long term benefits, people should consider having meals prepared at their home as they are safe, full of nutirents without any added preservatives, and good for your overall well-being.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the question and give a clear overall view: convenience food saves time and offers choice, while home cooking is presented as healthier and more carefully prepared. Relevant examples, such as tired workers ordering food after long shifts, help explain the convenience advantage. The response also includes disadvantages of eating this way, particularly cost and concerns about food safety. This meets the task well, but some points are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the claim that restaurant food is not made with proper care is broad, and the advantages of convenience food receive less development than the health benefits of home cooking. To strengthen the response further, explain these points with more balanced, specific support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on prepared food, a contrasting paragraph on home cooking, and a conclusion. The contrast signalled by “On the contrary” and the summary beginning “To sum up” make the main direction easy to follow. However, some linking is mechanical, and the first body paragraph shifts from advantages to food-safety concerns and cost without clearly separating these points. The opening sentence of that paragraph also introduces convenience, then moves quickly to an example and disadvantages. Use clearer topic sentences and organise each paragraph around one main function—for instance, advantages first and disadvantages second. Check references such as “these meals” so it is always clear which type of food is meant.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “sedentary lifestyle,” “food safety standards,” “processed food,” “nutrients,” and “preservatives.” These choices allow you to discuss convenience, cost, and health, and the meaning is generally clear. However, several expressions are awkward or imprecise, such as “switch to outside food,” “feasible,” and “customised culinary standards.” There are also spelling errors, including “restaurents,” “contray,” “satisying,” and “nutirents,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe people as “relying more on takeaway meals” and say that home cooking lets them “control ingredients and portion sizes.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause beginning “Due to the sedentary lifestyle” and a contrast between prepared and home-cooked food. The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “a vast majority of people these days trying” lacks a finite verb, while “food made at home are” has subject–verb disagreement. The sentence beginning “As, there are several merits” is an incomplete construction, and “it cost you more” uses the wrong verb form. Punctuation and capitalisation also need attention, as in “For instance, After…” and the lower-case “we” after a full stop. Review sentence boundaries, agreement, and verb forms, then proofread each sentence.

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