Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-20

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)

There are different opinions about gaining unhealthy weight in people. Some believe that it is due to excessive intake of junk food while others rely on the fact that it might be due to the change in perception of upcoming generations. In my opinion, fast food intake does play an important role in increasing obesity rather than change in lifestyles.

In many parts of the world, there are women who are work oriented and have 9 to 5 jobs. In most cases, these mothers often pay less attention to their homes and families. Parents in such situations mostly advise their children to eat from outside or to figure out themselves. This leads to the idea of eating junk food also known as fast food. However most of the parents do not make food in their homes on daily basis. They prefer going out and exploring new places which also results in eating unhealthy. These are the norms and nearly every family goes through this. Restaurants take advantage of this and now more and more people are heading towards starting any sort of food businesses.

However, different lifestyles also affect the obesity in people such as people undergoing stress and other problems may target gaining weight. There are several steps that need to be taken by government and parents. For instance, government should increase tax prices on junk food so many of the children do not opt for eating outside. Government must recruit people for thorough food examination in big restaurants as well as in street food.

On the other hand, parents must take good care of their homes and provide proper lunch to children.

In the last, if we take appropriate steps to control obesity at early stage then we can succeed in achieving our goal otherwise this may lead to serious consequences such as open ways to various diseases among humans.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the causes of obesity, focusing mainly on fast food intake and parental lifestyles, and provides a concluding opinion. However, the prompt specifically asks to discuss both views regarding whether junk food advertising should be banned and to give an opinion on this matter. The student largely discusses the availability and consumption of fast food and general lifestyle factors, but fails to properly address the specific issue of 'junk food advertising' and whether it should be banned. Consequently, the position on advertising is unclear, and the ideas are under-developed in relation to the core task requirements. This corresponds to a Band 5 performance for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay displays some overall organization with logical transitions between paragraphs, attempting to outline different viewpoints, government solutions, and personal opinions. However, paragraphing is somewhat problematic; the transition from societal lifestyles to government intervention lacks smooth cohesion. Phrases such as 'In the last' for conclusion are unnatural and inaccurate. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'these norms and nearly every family goes through this,' which leaves the reader guessing what specific norm is referenced. Cohesive devices are at times inadequate or repetitive, leading to a mechanical progression. This aligns closely with the Band 5 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate basic ideas about food and lifestyle choices. There are attempts to use less common items such as 'work oriented', 'perception', and 'thorough food examination', but these are often combined with word choice and collocation errors, such as 'target gaining weight' instead of 'tend to gain weight' or 'increase tax prices' instead of 'increase taxes'. Repetition of terms like 'junk food' and 'obesity' is noticeable. However, the vocabulary is sufficient to make the meaning fairly clear, fitting the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, for example using subordinate clauses ('while others rely on the fact that...'). However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples include missing articles ('on daily basis' instead of 'on a daily basis'), incorrect prepositions ('at early stage' instead of 'at an early stage'), and awkward phrasing ('open ways to various diseases'). Although communication is not entirely impeded, the high frequency of grammatical slips keeps the performance at a Band 5 level.

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

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