Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries nowadays, consumers can go to a supermarket and buy food produced all over the world.

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Food prodcued worldwide can now be accessed by people in a lot of countries around the globe. Some people dislike the idea because of the high cost and compromised quality of the food. However, in my opinion, it is good to have various products avaialble at the local stores as it allows people to try different cuisines without travelling places.

Food, whether packaged or other edibles like fruits and vegetables, produced afar can be costly in certain countries because of the transport costs. The prices of imported foods are often much higher than the local foods in stores. As an example, tomatoes from Europe are almost three times the price of local ones in Bali. Also, the long distance shipping and cargo can affect the quality of food, as it may take weeks to reach the destination. Stored foods are more prone to pathogens than fresh ones.

The availability of non-local foods lets people experience tastes from around the world. Most people can't travel due to the costs involved, and accessing these items in their areas can be a great way to expereince new things. Having fruits and vegetables grown around the world accessible over the counter also encourages peopole to try and cook dishes that are not local to their areas. For instance, sea-weed is not made in many countries, but having it at the stores lets people try making sushi, and other similar dishes.

While the cost and freshness of these imported goods can be a concern, I believe it has more upsides than downsides to have all these foods avaiable which are alien to our local markets.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you acknowledge concerns about price and freshness, but conclude that access to international foods is beneficial. Both sides are supported with relevant examples, including the cost of European tomatoes in Bali and the opportunity to make sushi. This addresses the question and gives the response a clear direction. However, the drawbacks are developed more narrowly than the benefits, and the claim that stored foods are more prone to pathogens is not explained or qualified. The benefits paragraph could also explain more fully how access to unfamiliar ingredients affects people beyond trying new dishes. To strengthen the response, develop each main point with a clearer explanation of its impact and ensure examples directly support the claim being made.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs discuss drawbacks and benefits, and the conclusion restates your position. Linking phrases such as “However,” “Also,” and “For instance” help readers follow the argument. The progression is generally logical, though some connections feel mechanical, and the final paragraph largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the discussion together. In the second body paragraph, the move from travel costs to cooking unfamiliar dishes is understandable but could be linked more explicitly. Use a wider range of referencing and transitions, and make the conclusion briefly synthesise why the benefits outweigh the costs and freshness concerns.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “transport costs,” “imported foods,” “pathogens,” and “availability,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “over the counter” and “compromised quality.” However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “food produced afar,” “Stored foods” for food shipped over long distances, and “sea-weed is not made” are not natural in this context. Spelling slips such as “prodcued,” “avaialble,” and “expereince” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural collocations and proofread carefully; for example, describe food as “grown or produced overseas” and seaweed as “not commonly grown or eaten locally.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause in “because of the transport costs” and a contrast structure beginning “While the cost and freshness…”. Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and errors rarely obstruct understanding. Some grammatical patterns could be controlled more consistently. For example, “it allows people to try different cuisines without travelling places” has an awkward construction, while “Having fruits and vegetables … accessible … also encourages people” makes the long subject difficult to manage. The sentence about shipping and cargo could also be made more direct to clarify the relationship between transport time and food quality. Practise varying sentence structures while keeping long sentences easy to follow, and check article use, agreement, and punctuation during revision.

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