Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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 8.0)

Some individuals take expensive supplements despite professional advice that a healthy diet provides all essential nutrients. This practice is mainly driven by food adulteration and increasing reliance on convenience foods. However, it can be addressed by enforcing stricter food-quality laws and raising awareness of healthy natural diets.

The main reason people take vitamin supplements is a lack of trust in the modern food industry. Some manufacturers adulterate food products to increase profits, reducing the quality of food sold in stores. For example, dairy farmers may dilute milk to increase its volume, thereby lowering its nutritional value. As a result, health-conscious consumers may take artificial supplements alongside their meals to compensate for nutrients they believe are missing. In addition, hectic lifestyles and demanding careers have increased dependence on convenience foods, such as frozen meals and fast food. These diets often lack essential nutrients and may encourage people to seek supplementation.

However, people should be encouraged to improve their diets rather than depend on supplements. Governments should raise awareness of nutritious food choices and the benefits of healthy eating, which can provide the body with essential vitamins and minerals. Likewise, parents and schools should discourage excessive consumption of convenience foods and promote healthier eating habits. Authorities should also introduce stricter laws to ensure food quality and prevent adulteration. This would motivate consumers to choose nutritious products instead of purchasing supplements.

In conclusion, poor food quality and the convenience of packaged foods can lead individuals to rely on supplements. Nevertheless, stronger quality-control measures and greater awareness of healthy eating can encourage people to choose nutritious food, which is more sustainable than relying on artificial supplements.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task by exploring both why people spend money on vitamin pills—citing food adulteration and convenience foods—and how they can be persuaded to improve their diet through stricter laws, education, and school initiatives. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are well-developed and supported with logical explanations, such as the example of dairy farmers diluting milk and the impact of hectic lifestyles. The response satisfies all requirements of the prompt effectively, aligning well with the Band 7 and Band 8 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with a well-structured introduction, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to reasons and solutions respectively, and concluding smoothly. Cohesive devices such as 'For example', 'In addition', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately. There are no noticeable lapses in cohesion, making the text easy to follow from start to finish, meeting the Band 8 criteria well.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The student displays a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suited to the topic. Expressions such as 'food adulteration', 'health-conscious consumers', 'hectic lifestyles', and 'quality-control measures' demonstrate an ability to use less common lexical items with good awareness of collocation and style. Word choice is generally precise and appropriate. There are no spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. While it occasionally touches upon the upper bands, the overall control and precision fit comfortably within a Band 7.5 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

A wide variety of complex structures is used successfully throughout the response. The writer employs conditional structures, participial phrases ('reducing the quality of food sold in stores'), and relative clauses with a high degree of accuracy. The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled correctly. Control of grammar is strong, and even when complex sentence forms are attempted, they are executed without significant error. This demonstrates the solid characteristics of a Band 8 performance for grammatical control.

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