Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-19

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 6.5)

In the number of societies, it has been noticed that obesity is a major health issue faced by residents. While some people claim that junk food advertisement is the main reason why people are gaining weight and it should be banned, others, including myself, believe that it's the person's own food choices and lifestyle that results in obesity.

On the one hand, endorsements manipulate the public to consume whatever food products they see. Junk food ads are promoted by famous celebrities who people admire and follow them as their role models. They often prefer to purchase those advertised goods and consume it daily without giving a single thought about its drawbacks. More precisely, food promoted digitally can be unhealthy and consuming it on a regular basis can make people gain weight over time. For example, maggi advertised on the television promising that it can be cooked in under two minutes which influenced consumers to buy and eat that product; resulting in gaining weight because of the ingredients present in that product. As a result, authorities should impose a legal ban on such ads which leads to health problems like obesity.

On the other hand, advertisements should not be banned as it does not contribute directly to the problem of obesity. The primary reason is that its people's personal choices which make them gain weight. People have fast-paced lifestyles where they do not prefer to waste time on preparing meals at home. Therefore, they prefer to have processed food rather than home cooked meals. Restaurants and fast food places usually use ingredients that are not healthy for individuals to consume on a daily basis. For example, fast food places like burger king mostly prefer oil to prepare most of their food items and having oily food regularly can easily make a person overweight.

In my opinion, the majority of the people have a sedentary lifestyle; owing to that, they spend most of their time at work sitting which can contribute to gaining weight. Moreover, they prefer to spend their leisure time scrolling through social media platforms rather than doing any physical activity such as walking or scrolling. Consequently, no physical exercise and consuming junk food regularly can have a profound impact on the overall health of a person.

In conclusion, although junk food advertisements can influence people to purchase unhealthy products, I believe that they are not the main cause of obesity. Personal food choices, along with a lack of physical activity and a sedentary lifestyle, play a more significant role in causing people to gain weight.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on whether junk food advertising should be banned and clearly stating the writer's own opinion throughout the essay. The position is well-maintained and supported by relevant explanations and examples, such as the mention of television advertisements for instant noodles and fast-food preparation methods. Ideas are generally extended, although the distinction between the advertising argument and the lifestyle argument could be sharpened slightly in the conclusion. Overall, the task response meets the requirements well and demonstrates a clear understanding of the prompt, earning a solid band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction of both views, to arguments for banning advertisements, to counter-arguments regarding personal choice, followed by an additional lifestyle perspective in the fourth paragraph, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately and appropriately, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently'. However, paragraphing could be streamlined, as the fourth paragraph introduces a point that could arguably be integrated into the previous discussion on personal choice. Referencing and substitution are generally clear and effective, resulting in a band 7.0 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'sedentary lifestyle', 'endorsements', and 'profound impact'. There is some awareness of collocation and style, although occasional inaccuracies occur, such as 'In the number of societies' instead of 'In a number of societies' and 'rather than doing any physical activity such as walking or scrolling' (where scrolling is repeated inappropriately from the previous sentence). Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary choice is adequate to convey meaning clearly, placing this response comfortably at band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional-like structures. There are frequent error-free sentences, particularly in the body paragraphs. However, a few grammatical errors and awkward phrasings persist, such as 'it's the person's own food choices... that results' (subject-verb agreement error with plural antecedents) and minor prepositional issues like 'advertised on the television promising'. Punctuation is generally sound, and these occasional errors do not impede communication, supporting a band 6.5 score.

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