Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-12

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries today, crime novels and TV crime dramas are becoming more and more popular. Why do you think these books and TV shows are popular? What is your opinion of crime fiction and TV crime dramas?

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

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Some country import a large amount of food from other parts of the world.

To what extent is this a positive or negative trend?

The relative benefits and drawbacks of importing a waste quantity of eatable things from other country are a matter of debate. In my opinion, while there are few disadvantages of this, these are overweighed by its advantages, which I will discuss in the upcoming paragraphs.

One the one hand, there are two clear negative to buy grocery items from other parts of the world. Firstly, It increases the carbon footprints significantly due to long-distance transportation. Since food is transported through vehicles, such as ships and trucks, they consume large amount of fossil fuel and release carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Secondly, almost all food lead to loss of nutritional value since it is often harvested early and treated with preservatives. Imported food travel long distance; therefore, to keep it fresh there are many chemical are being used. As a result of this, it loss their minerals and vitamins.

However, despite these negatives, this situation can be considered largely positives. It provides individuals to a diverse range of seasonal produce all year round. Since every part of the world has different climate conditions, citizens can enjoy summer foods in the winter seasons if they want. Not only this, this trend also promotes global trade and strengthens economic ties between countries. For example, countries such as America and Canada had strong trade policies, which not only increase their economy but it also helps to make a strong bond between them. Consequently, chance of war between two nation has decreased significantly because they are depend on each others.

In conclusion, although the drawbacks of this situation are undeniable, these are not as significant as the benefits food diversity and trade bond between nations.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response2.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks about the popularity of crime novels and TV crime dramas, but the essay discusses the importation of food. Consequently, the task has not been addressed at all. While the essay structure is logical and the arguments regarding food importation are developed, the failure to address the actual prompt results in a very low score for Task Achievement. To improve, it is essential to read the prompt carefully and ensure that the content directly answers the specific question asked.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is well-structured with clear paragraphing and logical progression. The writer uses cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Secondly', 'However', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas effectively. Despite the content being irrelevant to the prompt, the internal organization of the text is coherent and easy to follow. The use of paragraphing is appropriate, and the flow of ideas within the paragraphs is logical, which demonstrates a level of control consistent with a higher band for this specific criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary range is adequate for the task. The writer uses terms like 'nutritional value', 'preservatives', 'seasonal produce', and 'economic ties' effectively. There are some minor errors, such as 'waste quantity' (instead of 'vast') and 'eatable things' (instead of 'foodstuffs'), but these do not impede communication. The range is sufficient to express complex ideas clearly, even though the topic chosen is incorrect. With more precise word choices and fewer collocation errors, the score could be higher.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Some country import' (should be 'Some countries import'), 'there are two clear negative' (should be 'negatives'), and 'they are depend on each others' (should be 'they depend on each other'). However, these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the intended meaning. The writer demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, though control is inconsistent. Improving subject-verb agreement and pluralization would enhance the accuracy of the writing.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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