Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-01

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 a major problem these days. It has many bad effects on the overall health of human beings, such as metabolism changes, weight gain, and depression. There are different opinions related to this problem, varying from one person to another.

According to the first group of people, the advertisement of junk food by different brands is a major reason for obesity, and junk food advertisements should be banned. But this is not completely true. According to my opinion, brands can promote their junk foods through ads, but it is in the control of the people whether to consume this food or not. However, there is another factor that advertisement diverts the mind of people towards junk food when people see the billboards, etc. and they are indirectly controlled by advertisements and have cravings to try a new kind of junk food.

According to the second group of people, promotion of junk food does not add to the cause of obesity, and there is no issue in advertisements. According to my opinion, this statement is partially correct. For example, obesity not only depends upon eating junk food regularly but also on the lifestyle of the people. If a person has an active lifestyle, does physical exercise regularly and keeps the junk food consumption in limit, they are unlikely to suffer from obesity. In this case, the person is uninfluenced by the bad effects of advertisements of junk food.

Overall, junk food advertisements do not contribute directly to obesity, and whether it should be banned or not depends upon the people's perspectives. Food influencers should not promote the restaurants whose food ingredients are not healthy. On the other hand, people should adopt a healthy and an active lifestyle, such as exercise and sports, and keep junk food consumption as low as possible to avoid obesity.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While you present both sides of the argument and offer your own opinion, the development of ideas remains limited and under-developed. For instance, when discussing how advertisements divert the minds of people, the explanation is repetitive and lacks specific examples or strong supporting evidence. Your position is stated in the body paragraphs, but the arguments tend to loop without advancing the discourse further. To move to a higher level, you should extend your ideas with well-supported arguments and concrete examples throughout every body paragraph, ensuring that both views are explored in greater depth with clear, distinct supporting points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation evident in your essay, such as dividing the response into an introduction, separate body paragraphs for each view, and a conclusion. However, the overall progression is somewhat hindered by repetitive transitional phrases like 'According to the first group of people' and 'According to my opinion'. Cohesive devices are sometimes used mechanically or inaccurately, which disrupts the natural flow of ideas. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as how pronouns connect back to previously mentioned concepts. To achieve a higher standard, you need to use a wider variety of cohesive devices more flexibly and ensure that your paragraphing and logical transitions guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next without feeling formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is limited but minimally adequate to convey your basic message. You make noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'keep the junk food consumption in limit' instead of 'keep consumption within limits', and 'uninfluenced by the bad effects'. There are also repetitive lexical choices, with words like 'obesity', 'problem', and 'advertisement' recurring frequently throughout the text. While you attempt less common items such as 'metabolism changes' and 'perspectives', these attempts show some inaccuracy. To progress, you should incorporate a broader range of precise vocabulary, improve your collocation control, and use synonyms to avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures. When you attempt complex sentences, they are often somewhat basic or faulty in construction, such as the repetitive use of coordinate clauses linked by 'and' or 'but'. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing or incorrect articles ('the advertisement of junk food' instead of 'advertisements for junk food') and preposition usage ('according to my opinion' rather than 'in my opinion'). These errors can occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve your grammatical standing, you should practise incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence forms with accurate punctuation, prepositional phrases, and article control.

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