Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-06
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)
Nowadays, in many countries supermarkets offer food from all around the world. People wonder if it is a positive or a negative development. I believe that it is positive development for both food producers and for consumers. I will discuss my views in details.
On the one hand, there are many benefits of this approach. Firstly, it is helpful in the growth of the country because the international trades are very important. People can buy a variety of foods in any country. Some of these foods such as fruits, vegetables and other products are not produced by local farmers. In addition, people can find these kinds of food in any place with competitive price which creates competition among the food companies to maintain their food quality and food prices which is very helpful for the consumers. Furthermore, people can enjoy the different cuisines from different cultures.
On the second hand, it also has some drawbacks. Transporting food from all over the world is very costly. It also causes air pollution due to carbon emissions during transportation of food. Also, local farmers may struggle to compete with cheaper, imported products, leading to financial difficulties. Moreover, it can reduce profits of some local food producers.
In conclusion, I think the availability of food from all around the world in supermarkets is a positive development. I believe that its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It provides the better quality food with low price and people can enjoy the all variety of food in any country.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the development is positive. The ideas are relevant, covering both benefits (economic growth, variety, competition) and drawbacks (environmental impact, local farmer struggles). However, the development of these points is somewhat superficial. For instance, the mention of 'international trades' is a broad concept that could have been better linked to specific examples of food security or seasonal availability. The conclusion reinforces the position well, but the overall depth of the argument is limited, keeping it at a band 6 level where ideas are relevant but could be more fully extended.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Firstly', 'In addition', and 'Furthermore' are used to link sentences. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as 'On the second hand' (which is non-standard phrasing; 'On the other hand' is preferred). The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'competitive price', 'carbon emissions', and 'financial difficulties'. However, the range is somewhat limited and lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. There are minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'in details' (should be 'in detail') and 'the all variety of food' (should be 'a wide variety of food'). The lexical range is sufficient but does not demonstrate a high level of flexibility.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'it is positive development' (missing article 'a'), 'international trades are' (should be 'international trade is'), and 'the better quality food' (should be 'better quality food'). Punctuation is generally correct, but the frequency of minor grammatical slips prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The majority of sentences are understandable, but the control over articles and pluralization needs improvement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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