Traditional methods of food preparation are becoming less popular. Why do you think this is?
Sample Response
Since the fawn of time, food has been an essential part of human existence. In recent times, there has been an important question that runs through people’s minds, which is whether traditional ways of preparing food are gradually fading away. This essay discusses why I think this is happening: high job demands and the love for an easy life.
First and foremost, I believe our traditional style of preparing dishes has lost popularity because of high job demands. Although a few people usually have flexible job demands and can work from home, most workers have extremely tight schedules. That is, they need to wake up early in the morning to prepare for work and close from work late in the evening, so such people barely have enough time to go shopping and also prepare some meals for themselves in the kitchen. To cite an example, most workers worldwide have job locations which are very far and have to set off very early in order to be on time and later return home very late.
Secondly, our usual culture of cooking at home is gradually going out of the window. This can be attributed to the fact that people have developed the habit of finding pleasure in easy life with less stress. Undoubtedly, most people prefer the easy way. They find it rather stressful to get to the market, buy some vegetables and other foodstuffs and finally get to their kitchen to prepare a meal for themselves. They prefer to buy from fast food shops that are readily made. To buttress this, most friends of mine hardly buy foodstuffs to cook for themselves in their homes but would easily buy fast food outside just because it does not demand any energy.
In conclusion, the culture of sit-eat-go is becoming increasingly famous among the general public, and this is a result of people having busy work schedules and having the pleasure of a stress-free lifestyle.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the idiom Original: fawn Suggested revision: dawn Why it matters: The fixed expression is since the dawn of time.
- 2. Use natural phrasing Original: important question that runs through people’s minds Suggested revision: ongoing question in many people’s minds Why it matters: The replacement avoids an awkward metaphor and conveys the idea more directly.
- 3. Use academic wording Original: the love for an easy life Suggested revision: a preference for convenience Why it matters: This wording states the motivation more precisely and formally.
- 4. Improve task wording Original: traditional style of preparing dishes Suggested revision: traditional methods of preparing food Why it matters: Methods of preparing food is the more natural and task-relevant expression.
- 5. Fix collocation Original: flexible job demands Suggested revision: flexible working arrangements Why it matters: Job demands cannot normally be described as flexible in this intended sense.
- 6. Use standard expression Original: close from work late Suggested revision: finish work late Why it matters: Close from work is not standard English for ending the working day.
- 7. Tighten coordination Original: go shopping and also prepare some meals Suggested revision: shop for and prepare meals Why it matters: The revision coordinates the two actions more concisely and naturally.
- 8. Clarify workplace distance Original: job locations which are very far Suggested revision: workplaces that are far from home Why it matters: The replacement states clearly what is distant and from where.
- 9. Use precise verb Original: be Suggested revision: arrive Why it matters: Arrive identifies the intended action more precisely.
- 10. Remove repetition Original: later return home very late Suggested revision: return home late Why it matters: Using later and late together creates unnecessary repetition.
- 11. Fix awkward collocation Original: usual culture of cooking at home Suggested revision: traditional practice of cooking at home Why it matters: Practice is a natural term for a customary way of preparing food.
- 12. Use formal expression Original: going out of the window Suggested revision: becoming less common Why it matters: The idiom is informal and less precise than the proposed wording.
Suggested Rewrites
- fawn dawn
- important question that runs through people’s minds ongoing question in many people’s minds
- the love for an easy life a preference for convenience
- traditional style of preparing dishes traditional methods of preparing food
- flexible job demands flexible working arrangements
- close from work late finish work late
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response directly answers the question with two clear causes and develops both through explanation and examples, while its paragraphing makes the argument easy to follow. Its main weakness is imprecise and repetitive phrasing, with several unnatural collocations obscuring otherwise clear ideas. The most useful improvement is to express each cause in concise, idiomatic language and replace general examples with more specific causal explanation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both proposed causes are relevant, clearly stated, and adequately extended, though the examples remain broad and somewhat repetitive.
Explain more specifically how changing work patterns and convenience services displace particular traditional preparation methods.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay has clear overall progression, effective paragraphing, and appropriately signposted main ideas.
Reduce repeated statements about busy schedules and easy living so that each sentence adds a distinct step to the argument.
Lexical Resource
There is adequate vocabulary for the topic, but frequent awkward or inaccurate combinations limit precision and naturalness.
Use idiomatic alternatives for phrases such as "fawn of time," "close from work," and "fast food shops that are readily made."
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses both simple and complex structures with generally clear meaning, despite recurring clumsy constructions and minor agreement or reference problems.
Simplify overloaded sentences and check relative clauses, pronoun reference, and parallel verb structures during revision.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Traditional methods of food preparation are becoming less popular. Why do you think this is?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.