Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-30

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)

WITH ADVANCEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY, LIFESTYLES OF PEOPLE HAVE NOW CHANGED COMPLETELY, WITH ALMOST ELIMINATION OF MORE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES AND INCREASED JUNK FOOD CONSUMPTION, WHICH RESULTED IN PEOPLE BECOMING OBESE IN SUCH SOCIETIES. CALCULATING THE REASONS FOR WHY PEOPLE BECOME OBESE, WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. THE FIRST VIEW IS THAT ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE JUNK FOOD IS THE PRIMARY REASON FOR THIS AND SHOULD BE RESTRICTED. WHILE ON THE OTHER HAND, ITS COUNTER ARGUMENT COMPLETELY DISAGREES WITH THIS NOTION AND BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD NOT BE BANNED AT ALL AS IT NEVER ADDS TO THIS PROBLEM.

THE LOGIC THAT JUNK FOOD ADVERTISING IS THE MAIN REASON BEHIND OBESITY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. IT SEEMS TO BE JUST LIKE BLAMING ANOTHER PERSON WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE SELF CONTROL. FOR INSTANCE, THERE IS GOOD QUALITY FOOD BEING ADVERTISED TOO, MEALS RICH IN PROTEINS AND LESS CARBOHYDRATES ARE ALSO ADVERTISED. BUT ONLY BECAUSE A PERSON HIMSELF CHOSES TO EAT JUNK FOOD, DOESN'T MAKE ADVERTISING THE ROOT CAUSE FOR OBESITY.

CONTRARY TO THESE, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS NOT THE SOLUTION AND HENCE ADVERTISING SHOULD NOT BE BANNED. AND THIS SOUNDS AS A COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE VIEW. BECAUSE IF ADVERTISING GETS BANNED IT WILL LEAD TO MANY OTHER PROBLEMS AS WELL, AS EVEN ITS RESTRICTION DOESN'T GUARANTEE THAT CONSUMPTION OF JUNK FOOD WILL END. HOWEVER, OTHER PROBLEMS MIGHT BE DIFFICULT TO DEAL IF IT GETS BANNED. FOR EXAMPLE, IF A SOCIETY DOES SO, INVESTORS IN THAT FOOD DOMAIN MIGHT CHOOSE TO LEAVE, AS NO CAMPAIGNS MIGHT REDUCE THEIR SALES.

IN THE END, I THINK THE SOLUTION TO OBESITY PRIMARILY LIES IN PEOPLE GOING FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES LIKE CYCLING AND HITTING THE GYM. HOWEVER, AGGRESSIVE MARKETING OF JUNK FOOD SHOULD ALSO BE DEALT BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITIES. AS IT CAN TARGET CHILDREN BELOW 18, WHICH MAY GET TOO MUCH ATTACHED TO THIS TYPE OF EATING, RESULTING IN OBESITY.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument against banning advertising is a bit vague, focusing on economic consequences rather than the core issue of obesity. The conclusion introduces a new, nuanced point about targeting children, which would have been more effective if integrated into the body paragraphs. While the task is addressed, the depth of analysis is limited, and the transition between the two views could be more balanced to ensure a more thorough exploration of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'Contrary to these', and 'In the end', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Contrary to these, there are people who genuinely believe...'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved to create a more cohesive argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different perspectives and the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'administrative authorities', 'food domain', and 'aggressive marketing'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'almost elimination of more physical activities' and 'get too much attached'. While the meaning is always clear, the lack of more sophisticated or precise collocations prevents the response from reaching a higher band.

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 'which resulted in people becoming obese' (should be 'which has resulted'), 'does not make sense' (subject-verb agreement issues), and 'dealt by the administrative authorities' (should be 'dealt with by'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward sentence constructions that occasionally impede the flow. While the errors do not prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to limit the score in this criterion.

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

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