The tradition of families getting together to eat meals is disappearing. What are the reasons? What are the impacts?
Sample Response
Nowadays, it seems that families tend to eat together less frequently. This essay will put forward some explanations for this trend and an analysis of the potential impacts.
The fact that family members choose not to eat with each other can be attributable to two reasons. Firstly, since people these days tend to have heavier workloads and more hectic schedules than in the past, sitting down to share a meal with their family members might not be a convenient choice. Instead, these individuals usually eat out with their friends, colleagues or business partners near their workplace which can be more suitable for their timetable. Secondly, the fast food culture of modern life can change people’s eating habits because fast food can be found everywhere and is usually an inexpensive food choice. For instance, young people in Vietnam often grab a quick meal after a busy day at work or school, which leads them to skipping meals with their family when they go home.
The trend has both positive and negative impacts on people. In terms of the benefits, people are able to be much more flexible with their time. They will not have to show up at a fixed hour to have meals with their family and can eat whatever and whenever they want. However, in terms of the negative effects, this can lead to a weaker family bond. If a family continuously eats separately, family members may not be able to share their thoughts, feelings with each other, and therefore may feel isolated from each other. This will result in a lack of deep family connection.
In conclusion, the tendency of family members eating separately is mainly caused by the difference in their schedules or the preference to eat fast food, which can have both positive and negative impacts.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use the correct form Original: attributable Suggested revision: attributed Why it matters: The passive construction requires the past participle 'attributed'.
- 2. Clarify the reference Original: near their workplace which can be more suitable for their timetable Suggested revision: near their workplaces, which can suit their schedules better Why it matters: The plural nouns agree with 'individuals', and the comma clarifies the relative clause.
- 3. Avoid repetition Original: because fast food can be found everywhere and is usually an inexpensive food choice Suggested revision: because it is widely available and usually inexpensive Why it matters: The replacement removes repeated uses of 'fast food' and 'food' while retaining the meaning.
- 4. Correct the verb pattern Original: skipping Suggested revision: skip Why it matters: 'Lead someone to' is followed by the base form of the verb.
- 5. Join the paired nouns Original: share their thoughts, feelings with each other Suggested revision: share their thoughts and feelings with each other Why it matters: The conjunction 'and' is needed between the two coordinated nouns.
- 6. Add the article Original: a lack of deep family connection Suggested revision: a lack of a deep family connection Why it matters: The singular countable noun phrase 'family connection' requires an article here.
- 7. Correct the noun pattern Original: the tendency of family members eating separately Suggested revision: the tendency for family members to eat separately Why it matters: The standard pattern is 'tendency for someone to do something'.
- 8. Use the plural noun Original: the difference in their schedules Suggested revision: differences in their schedules Why it matters: Several family members' varying schedules imply multiple differences.
- 9. Improve the collocation Original: the preference to eat fast food Suggested revision: a preference for fast food Why it matters: 'Preference for' is the natural collocation for naming the favoured choice.
- 10. Remove unnecessary hedging Original: Nowadays, it seems that Suggested revision: Nowadays, Why it matters: The direct opening states the observable trend more confidently and concisely.
- 11. Use concise wording Original: sitting down to share a meal with their family members might not be a convenient choice Suggested revision: sharing a family meal may be impractical Why it matters: The revision expresses the scheduling difficulty more directly.
- 12. Choose a precise verb Original: change Suggested revision: influence Why it matters: 'Influence' more precisely describes a gradual effect on habits.
Suggested Rewrites
- attributable attributed
- near their workplace which can be more suitable for their timetable near their workplaces, which can suit their schedules better
- because fast food can be found everywhere and is usually an inexpensive food choice because it is widely available and usually inexpensive
- skipping skip
- share their thoughts, feelings with each other share their thoughts and feelings with each other
- a lack of deep family connection a lack of a deep family connection
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response addresses both causes and impacts clearly, and its paragraph structure makes the argument easy to follow. Its main limitation is that some points, especially the fast-food cause and the positive impact of flexibility, remain fairly general, while a few awkward grammatical constructions reduce polish. Strengthen each causal link with a more specific explanation or example and edit gerund, coordination, and collocation choices carefully.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both requested causes and impacts are covered with a clear explanation, though some ideas remain somewhat general or briefly developed.
Explain more precisely how fast-food habits displace shared meals and illustrate the longer-term significance of each impact.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is well organised with clear paragraph purposes and smooth overall progression, despite some formulaic internal signposting.
Vary the repeated cause-and-effect and contrast signals so relationships remain clear without sounding mechanical.
Lexical Resource
A flexible range of topic vocabulary conveys ideas precisely overall, with only occasional awkward collocations and phrasing.
Refine combinations such as 'difference in their schedules' and 'lack of deep family connection' into more idiomatic expressions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex sentences are varied and mostly well controlled, while a small number of gerund, coordination, and noun-phrase errors reduce accuracy.
Correct patterns such as 'leads them to skipping' and proofread coordinated nouns and gerund-based phrases for complete structure.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
The tradition of families getting together to eat meals is disappearing. What are the reasons? What are the impacts?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.