Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-17

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, at the moment, customers go to a supermarket and purchase food items which are produced around the globe. In my viewpoint, this is a negative development to a large extent. My opinion is discussed further.

The foremost argument to support my view is that it is not safe for the environment. This is because food from other nations required transportation which uses fuel and emits carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Therefore, it increases global warming in the environment. In addition, importing foods can be expensive. Because cost of moving foods from one location to another and fuel are becoming more. Hence, it becomes financial burden for the purchaser. For instance, nowadays, cost of cherry become so high because of it export from the USA.

Furthermore, customers choose another country product first. If import foods are high quality, they are less like to buy local foods. Consequently, it local markets are unable to sell their own area food products. For example, last year, many farmers got lost in potatoes farming because this type of vegetables were imported from the Australia.

However the positives cannot be rejected for several reasons. The most important is that it comes with great choices. Since past few years increased in import business, customers found many products with high quality. As a result, they may have to choose more products from the supermarket.

In conclusion, although there are more positives such as it offers great choices, it has more drawbacks like dangerous to the environment, expensive and it affect local food.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the development is negative. While the main ideas—environmental impact, cost, and local market competition—are relevant, they are somewhat under-developed. For instance, the argument regarding local farmers is a good point but lacks sufficient depth to fully explore the economic implications. The conclusion acknowledges the opposing view, which is a positive feature, but the overall development of ideas remains somewhat superficial. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and nuanced examples for each point raised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'The foremost argument', 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, there are instances where the referencing is slightly unclear, such as in the sentence 'Because cost of moving foods from one location to another and fuel are becoming more.' The flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'global warming', 'carbon dioxide', and 'import business'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'got lost in potatoes farming' (likely meaning 'suffered losses') and 'it affect local food' (should be 'affects'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and you rely on simpler phrasing. To improve, focus on learning more precise collocations and academic synonyms to enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. Examples include 'food from other nations required transportation' (tense error), 'cost of cherry become so high' (article and verb agreement errors), and 'Since past few years increased in import business' (preposition and structure errors). While the meaning is generally conveyed, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement, article usage, and consistent verb tenses.

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