Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-05

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 5.5)

In many nations nowadays, consumers can go to a supermarket and purchase food items produced across the world. While this trend offers several advantages, I believe it even brings some drawbacks, making it both positive as well as negative development.

On the one hand, buying food from supermarkets can be seen as a positive development because it provides greater convenience. People with busy schedules can buy food from stores and eat without cooking at homes. For instance, old age people do not have the capability to go to the market, buy materials and cook at home. Moreover, purchasing food from supermarkets provides an individual to have exposure to different foods available in different countries, especially for food lovers. People who want to eat food originated in different countries but are not capable of visiting other nations can get a taste of different nations.

On the other hand, there are several negative consequences of this trend. Firstly, this food contains a huge amount of preservatives. The foods are made to last for approximately for 7 to 10 days, and that cannot be possible without preservatives. These preservatives can harm consumer's health and lead to several diseases, like cancer, heart disease, and so on. For example, recently, an experiment was done on McDonald's burger, a burger was kept in the fridge for one year, and it was fully fresh. This indicates the amount of preservatives are used in food products. Secondly, supermarkets sell this food at expensive rates. Food containing a lot of preservatives and import duties increases the price of individual items. It becomes difficult for a person to buy food.

In conclusion, although international food items in supermarkets provide convenience and exposure to foreign food, they also create challenges such as health issues due to preservatives and expensive rates. Therefore, I would consider this trend to be both a positive and negative development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and maintains a clear position throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as convenience and health concerns. However, the development is somewhat uneven. For instance, the argument regarding 'old age people' is not entirely relevant to the topic of global food trade, and the example of the McDonald's burger is anecdotal and slightly off-topic, as it focuses on fast food rather than the general availability of global produce. To reach a higher band, ensure that all examples directly support the prompt's focus on international food distribution rather than general supermarket convenience or fast food.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, the progression within paragraphs could be smoother. Some sentences feel slightly disconnected, and the use of referencing could be more precise. For example, the transition between the health argument and the price argument is a bit abrupt. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to a coherent flow of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and allows for clear communication. There is an attempt to use topic-specific language like 'import duties' and 'preservatives'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'old age people' (should be 'elderly people') and 'food originated in different countries' (should be 'food originating from'). The range is sufficient for the task, but more sophisticated or precise vocabulary would be needed to move into the higher bands. The repetition of 'different countries' and 'different nations' also limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'it even brings some drawbacks, making it both positive as well as negative development' (missing an article before 'positive' and 'negative') and 'the amount of preservatives are used' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor slips throughout. The control of complex structures is inconsistent, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band for this criterion.

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