Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Doctors tell us that we can get all the vitamins we need from having a healthy diet. Despite this advice, some people continue to spend large sums of money on vitamin pills.

Why do you think some people spend a lot of money on vitamin pills?

How could people be persuaded to improve their diet instead of buying vitamin pills?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowdays, people want to find a substitute for all the things. Sometimes its an good idea and help them whereas sometimes it can have some negative outcomes like sugar is substituted with splenda or consuming vitamin pills to maitain our diet rather then finding vitamin in food. In this eassy I will talk about that why some group of individuals are spending money on vitamin pills and how they can be motivated to take proper diet, rather then finding a substitute for it.

Firstly, its sometimes difficult for people to intake and maintain all the vitamins and protein in their diet which is helpfull and necessary to stay fit and healthy. Its alos because of their busy schedules and they do not get enough time to make healthy meals. for example, if a person is working full time the may they not be able to make proper meals according to their diet and they find it easy to take pills. Moreover, its difficult to count vitamin in each meal and sometimes they also need to hire some expert who can provide them a proper meal plan which is also expensive. Furthermore, the goods that contain vitamins and protein is highly expensive. So people find it easy to take tablets of vitamins and save their time in preparastion of meals and hiring someone.

Whereas, some people think that its not necessary to consume pills because it doesnot have a good lon term effect like eating food will doesnot have any impact on body and will also be good source of other components whereas taking only one pill like vitamin B will only maintain vitamin B defficiancy. For example Vitamin D can be taken from sunlight and if a person go on a walk then it will not only help in maintaining vitamin D but alos help to reduce his weight and can stay fit. Secondly, spending money on pills with limited amount of benfits you can spend it in buying food that are rich in minerals, vitamins like fruits, vegetables, eggs and chicken.

To conclude, its is important for some people to take pills because its difficult for them to make propoer meal or may be due to particular defficiency in their body and do not want to spend their time in this. But some want to avoid it so that they avoid the drawbacks of consuming pills and want to naturally intake the vitamins in their diet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: you explain that busy schedules, the cost of planning meals, and the price of nutritious foods can lead people to buy supplements, then suggest choosing foods such as fruit, vegetables, eggs, and chicken instead. The examples about a full-time worker and sunlight make the discussion relevant. However, the second part is less fully answered: it asks how people could be persuaded to improve their diets, while much of your response explains why food is beneficial rather than proposing ways to persuade people, such as public information, practical meal-planning support, or affordable healthy-food options. Some claims, including that pills have poor long-term effects, also need clearer qualification or support. Develop this part more directly and evenly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The first body paragraph focuses on reasons for buying pills, while the next contrasts supplements with food, so the reader can follow the main line of thought. You also use signposts such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “To conclude.” At times, however, these links feel mechanical, and “Whereas” does not clearly introduce a complete contrast. Some ideas within paragraphs are joined loosely, particularly the discussion of meal-planning costs and expensive vitamin-rich foods. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example explicitly to the point it supports; make sure the conclusion reflects both the reasons and the persuasion methods discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “busy schedules,” “proper meal plan,” “vitamin deficiency,” and “minerals,” which helps communicate the topic. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “limited amount of benefits.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural word combinations are noticeable, for example “Nowdays,” “maintain our diet,” “count vitamin in each meal,” and “goods that contain vitamins.” Repetition of “pills,” “vitamins,” and “difficult” also limits flexibility. Choose more natural collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, describe supplements as helping to “meet nutritional needs,” and refer to “nutrient-rich foods” rather than “goods that contain vitamins.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “whereas,” and “if.” This gives the response some variety, and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, errors in sentence structure, verb forms, agreement, and articles occur across the response. For example, “which is helpfull” does not agree with its plural reference, “the may they not be able” has an incorrect clause structure, and “if a person go on a walk” needs subject–verb agreement. The sentence beginning “like eating food will doesnot have any impact” is also difficult to follow because its clauses are not formed clearly. Practise building accurate complex sentences and proofread for agreement, articles, and punctuation.

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