Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-22

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)

Obesity is considered as major issue in some populations. Some people blame junk food advertisements as root cause of this problem and banning these advertisements is essential, while other think that junk food advertisements have no role in increasing obesity and should not be banned. I believe junk food advertisements have a major role in promoting their consumption especially among the young adults now-a-days. Banning their advertisements can play a major role in decreasing fast food consumption.

Junk food promotions are used to attract more customers. If in a population more fast food is consumed then it would ultimately result in more obesity among the individuals of that group of people. Obesity is considered as cause of many diseases. An obese person is unable to enjoy life fully as compared to a person who have maintained his weight. For instance, a person who eats healthy food and exercise regularly have less chances to become obese and in order to maintain his healthy life style he should stay away from anything promoting unhealthy food.

Banning of junk food commercials is not a complete solution. But we can say that it will play a major role in the reduction of unhealthy food consumption. For example, If a group see less fast food adds then their chances of fast food consumption will also decrease. As a result more people eat healthy food and stay fit.

If we summarize the discussion, fast food can be consumed in small amount but its frequent consumption will result in obesity and advertisements of such food play major role in attracting the public towards it. For a healthy society, we should discourage fast food consumption and for this I highly recommend banning of junk food advertisements.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on junk food advertising and obesity, while clearly presenting the writer's own opinion that advertisements promote unhealthy consumption and should be banned. The main ideas are extended and supported, such as linking food advertisements to increased fast food consumption and subsequent obesity. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise or lack specific empirical evidence, remaining at a somewhat repetitive level rather than fully developing complex analytical points. For instance, the discussion on how a healthy person stays away from unhealthy food is slightly tangential. Overall, the task is successfully handled, earning a Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Each paragraph has a discernible central topic, such as the general link between advertising and obesity, and the counter-perspective on bans. Cohesive devices are used, though sometimes mechanically or repetitively, such as the frequent reliance on transitional phrases like 'For example' and 'As a result'. Paragraphing is utilized, but some paragraphs are quite brief and could be better structured to group related ideas together. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional shifts in pronouns affect the smooth flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common items such as 'consumption', 'obesity', and 'commercials'. However, there are notable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, the phrase 'Obesity is considered as major issue' misses the indefinite article 'a', and 'adds' is used instead of 'ads' or 'advertisements'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main arguments clearly and communication is not impeded, the presence of these lexical inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing ('play a major role') restricts the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in grammatical structures. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly missing articles ('considered as major issue', 'person who have maintained', 'group see less fast food adds') and subject-verb agreement issues ('a person who eats... and exercise'). Complex sentence attempts often contain structural slips or awkward phrasing. Although these errors do not impede overall communication and the reader can easily follow the arguments, the frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the response from achieving a higher band.

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