Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-31

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 5.5)

NUMNER OF FOLKS RELY ON HOTELS , RESTAURANTS AND PACKAGE FOODS AVAILABLE IN STORES FOR THEIR DAILY MEALS RATHER THAN COOKING HEALTHY FOOD AT THEIR HOME.I BELEIVE THIS IDEA HAS BOTH PROCS AND CONS OF IT.

TO START WITH , HAVING A JUNK FOOD MEAL EVERY DAY WILL NOT HELP A PERSON TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT.FOR EXAMPLE, MEAL AVAILABLE AT RESTAURATNTS HAVE PRESERVATIVES IN IT AND YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW WHAT PROPORTION OF SPIECES THEY HAVE IN IT, EVEN A FOLK WILL NOT KNOW HOW MANY DAYS OLD FOOD THAT WOULD BE ,LIKE NOT NOT EXPIRY DATE ON IT WILL HELP BUT SOME VEGETABLES GET SPOILED IF IT STAYS FOR COUPLE OF DAYS IN FRIDGE.TO ADD WITH THIS , SOMETIMES YOU CANT JUST GET THE FOOD FROM HOTELS AS THIS COST MUCH THEN MAKING AT YOUR CONVIENCES.FOR INSTANCE, YOU PAY $80 PER DAY TO HAVE 3 TIMES MEALS IN COMOPARE TO 80 DOLLAR FOR YOUR GROCIES WOULD BE GREAT .

FOR ADVANTAGES OF GETTING MEALS FROM OUTSIDE IS ,YOU GET MORE REST THAN WORK,TO EXPLAIN THIS POINT MEANS IF YOU WORK 10 HOURS PER DAY YOU DONT SPEND 2 HOURS IN KITCHEN SIMPLE AS THAT . WHILE YOU COOK FOR 2 HOURS YOU GET LESS SLEEP AND REST WHICH CAN AFFECT A PERSONS HEALTH AS THEY MIGHT HAVE HEADACHE BECAUSE OF LACK OF REST .TO CONTIUNE WITH THIS , FROZEN FOODS HELPS IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY .FOR EXAMPLE , YOU RECEIVE A CALL FROM YOUR MANAGER FOR WORK AND YOU WILL BE PAID OVERTIME FOR IT THEN THAT FOOD WILL HELP YOU SURVIVE FOR THAT DAY .

TO CONCLUDE, I BELIEVE MAKING FRESH MEAL EVERYDAY HELPS YOU STAY HEALTHY AND FIT.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question: the disadvantages include possible health concerns and higher costs, while the advantages include saving time and having food available in an emergency. The examples about working long hours and receiving an overtime call are relevant. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the health point relies on uncertain claims about preservatives and food freshness, and the cost comparison is difficult to follow. Your conclusion says fresh meals are healthier but does not clearly sum up the advantages and disadvantages or state a balanced overall view. Develop each main idea with a clearer explanation and a specific, credible example, and make your position consistent from introduction to conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for disadvantages and advantages, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “To add with this,” and “To conclude” show an attempt to guide the reader. However, progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow: the discussion moves from preservatives to food storage and then to cost without clear connections. Some transitions are also repetitive or awkward, and the long first body paragraph contains several ideas that would be clearer if separated. Organise each paragraph around one central point, use linking phrases that express the actual relationship between ideas, and ensure that the conclusion reflects the discussion above.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “preservatives,” “frozen foods,” “overtime,” and “lack of rest,” so the reader can identify your main points. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make meaning unclear, as in “more rest than work,” “at your conveniences,” and “80 dollar for your groceries.” Spelling errors such as “NUMNER,” “BELEIVE,” and “COMOPARE” are also noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the writing. Build a more precise set of phrases for discussing cost, convenience, nutrition, and food safety, and proofread spelling. Prefer natural expressions such as “save time” and “prepare meals at home.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use subordinate clauses to explain examples, such as “if you work 10 hours per day” and “because of lack of rest.” However, sentence structures are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and punctuation frequently make the reader work to understand the meaning. For example, “meal available at restaurants have preservatives in it” has problems with number agreement, while “you pay $80 per day to have 3 times meals” is not grammatically controlled. Several sentences run together without clear punctuation. Practise writing accurate simple sentences first, then combine them using clauses, checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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