Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-04

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)

Food preparing in restaurants and packed frozen food is having increasing demand in today's world. Meanwhile food cooking in home kitchen is being less demanding. I am strongly agree with this statement that eating this way has some merits and demerits .

On the top I want talk about time-saving. They are quick and easy to prepare, especially for people who have busy schedule.

On the other hand it can not be deny that regular consumption of this food may increase the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and other health problems. Additionly, plastic containers, wrappers and other packaging materials contribute to environmental pollution.

To sum up, frozen food and packaged meals are useful for people who have busy lifestyles. They can save time and make daily life easier. However, relying on them too much may have negative effects on our health. Therefore, people should maintain a balanced diet by incluiding fresh fruit , vegetables and home cooked food in their daily lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify a relevant advantage—convenience for people with busy schedules—and disadvantages involving health and packaging waste. The conclusion also gives a clear recommendation to balance convenience food with fresh produce and home cooking. However, the response only partially develops the task: the benefits and drawbacks are listed rather than explained with reasons or examples, and the opening focuses on the trend rather than establishing a clear position on its effects. The required minimum of 250 words is not met, which leaves little room to address both sides fully. To strengthen the response, explain how ready-made meals save time in daily routines, develop the health or environmental consequences, and include a specific example for each side.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting an advantage, a paragraph presenting disadvantages, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “To sum up” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, the progression is quite abrupt because each main point receives only brief treatment, and the opening does not lead clearly into the body paragraphs. The phrase “On the top” is not an effective transition, while “Additionly” is used to add a second drawback but does not create much development. Build each body paragraph around one main idea, explain it, and then support it with an example; this would make the organisation feel more connected rather than list-like.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “time-saving,” “regular consumption,” “obesity,” “packaging materials,” and “balanced diet.” These choices make the main points understandable and show some range beyond basic food-related words. However, several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “Food preparing in restaurants,” “increasing demand,” and “less demanding.” There are also spelling errors, including “Additionly” and “incluiding,” and some repetition of “food” and “busy.” Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, describe the trend as people “increasingly rely on” prepared meals, and refer to “home-cooked meals” consistently. More varied wording would help you explain the effects with greater precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both short statements and some longer structures, including “especially for people who have busy schedule” and the concluding sentence beginning “However, relying on them too much…”. The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. For example, “I am strongly agree” uses an incorrect verb form, and “it can not be deny” has an incorrect passive construction. Articles and number also need attention in “people who have busy schedule,” while the opening sentence has an unclear structure. Punctuation spacing is inconsistent, as in the space before the full stop after “demerits.” Practise forming clear subject–verb sentences and accurate clauses, then proofread for verb forms, articles, and punctuation.

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