Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-13

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)

Food is considered a basic need of human beings. In many countries nowadays, consumers prefer to buy food which is were produced all across the world. This essay will evaluate whether this development is positive or negative and give reason to strengthen my stand.

To begin with, many people wants to try out new dishes or food of different countries. Although, the imported food are relatively quite expensive in comparison of local food, individuals with high income still prefer to try that. Moreover, the availability of variety of food gives more options to the consumers. For instance, in Canada, there is a huge community of Indians. So they widely prefer to go to that place where many sort of Indian food are available. which eventually helps the supermarket owners to attract new customers. Furthermore, it can also benefit to that country which exports that food. And a large amount of export of food can make great impact on economy.

On the other hand, the increasing import export of food leads to increase the transportation. The increased transportation not only requires for more fuel but also cause for growth in pollution. In addition, the transportation also requires for better packaging which requires many layers of polythene and cardboard or wooden boxes.

In conclusion, the increase of pollution should not be overlooked. But as it gives as many benefits, I believe that it is a positive development. Simultaneously, government should focus on to find ways to reduce pollution in terms of air pollution and the excessive use of plastic for packaging.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the benefits and drawbacks of global food trade. You clearly state your position in the introduction and maintain it throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about the Canadian Indian community is a good start, but it could be more effectively linked to the broader economic or cultural benefits of global trade. The conclusion is brief and could have been used to better synthesise the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explained with more depth and analytical detail rather than just stating the idea.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is slightly disjointed, such as the sentence fragment 'which eventually helps the supermarket owners...' and the awkward phrasing 'benefit to that country'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that sentences connect more fluidly would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'imported', 'consumers', 'transportation', and 'excessive'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'make great impact on economy' (should be 'have a significant impact on the economy') and 'many sort of Indian food' (should be 'many types of Indian food'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Focusing on learning collocations and more academic synonyms will help you express your ideas with greater clarity and impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('many people wants', 'imported food are'), incorrect verb forms ('were produced'), and missing articles. Additionally, some sentences are punctuated incorrectly, such as the fragment starting with 'which eventually helps'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the overall fluency. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage to improve your accuracy.

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