Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-06
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In some societies, obesity is regarded as a major problem. Some people believe that junk food advertising is largely to blame for this problem and should be banned. However, others feel that junk food advertising does not contribute to the problem of obesity and should not be banned.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience·and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence. Write at least 250 words.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
It is undeniable that obesity has become a major issue in today's world. In this regard some people blame junk food advertising while others argue that it does not contribute to the problem. This essay will not only discuss both views but also my opinion which is in the favour of latter notion in the forthcoming fragments with logical conclusion.
To begin with, there are endless other reasons than advertising that make people to eat junk food. First and foremost is the childhood habits. To explain, in some families junk food eating is not controlled due to which children get a habit of doing so which contribute to the problem of society. For example, members of the family in which healthy food is encouraged is less prone to obesity and vice versa. Secondly, more availability of junk food than healthy food. To elaborate, it is often seen that street food is available more widely than healthy food like salad and so on. In addition, addiction towards fast food eating as many people create a habit of eating junk food from their childhood and can't help with it in the future. As a result more of the population has access to fast food causing it hard to avoid and suffer from problem of obesity.
However, there are few points in the favour of former point of view. Prime one is that if the advertisement of junk food is banned completely or even upto a some extent, the online ordering of fast food will gradually reduce as less of the population will be aware about the availability of junk food. It is because platforms like zomato, swiggy allow people to order food while sitting at home. As a result a proportion of people will get benefited from this in the future.
To conclude, although there are many reasons that support that advertising of junk food does not contribute to the problem of obesity yet the benefits of banning the advertisement of fast food can not be neglected completely.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The first body paragraph provides several reasons why advertising is not the primary cause of obesity, but the second body paragraph, which discusses the opposing view, is less developed and relies on a somewhat narrow argument regarding online food delivery platforms. The position is clear, but the depth of analysis could be improved by providing more robust evidence or examples to support the claims. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'First and foremost', 'Secondly', and 'However' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'latter notion' in the introduction, which is slightly awkward. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints, which helps the reader follow the argument, but the internal flow within paragraphs could be smoother.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band. There are some repetitive word choices, such as the frequent use of 'junk food' and 'problem'. Some collocations are slightly unnatural, for example, 'in the favour of latter notion' and 'more availability of junk food'. While the meaning is always clear, the vocabulary does not demonstrate a wide range of less common lexical items or idiomatic control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'make people to eat' (should be 'make people eat'), 'contribute to the problem of society' (should be 'contribute to societal problems'), and 'suffer from problem of obesity' (missing article). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the control over complex structures is inconsistent.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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