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)

The topic of the statement written here, is about many countries nowadays, consumers that can go to a supermarket and buy food produced all over the world- this statement is about positive or negative development?

For me, I strongly believe that it's the positive development. There are a number of advantages behind this developmental and social statergy. This connects us with the authentic and originally produced food outside out country The very first benefit is that, consumers now can buy their favourite internationally produced food from there own city, and relish it at their own home. It also saves the taxes on the product as the product is available in their own country. It also saves the time of consumers and makes the product more accessible to everyone whether they went out of the country or not. Then, it also gives people from lower financial background a chance to eat food from different countries without even travelling to other countries. Isn't it awesome!

Let's take a simple example for this. Ramen is the speciality of South Korea and everyone wants to eat the tasty ramen of South Korea at least for once in their life. But it is nearly impossible for many consumers to visit South Korea and so they are unable to taste the authentic ramen. But if the ramen if available in their own country people can easily buy it from their nearby supermarket and enjoy it without spending much time and money. Also it gives people a level of satisfaction of eating the originally sold ramen. So it's a positive side of the given statement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the availability of global food is a positive development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention benefits like accessibility and cost-effectiveness, the arguments are repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the claim that it 'saves taxes' is not clearly explained or supported with logical reasoning. The example of ramen is relevant, but the analysis remains simplistic. To improve, you should aim to explore the broader economic or cultural implications of global food trade rather than focusing solely on personal convenience. The tone is also slightly informal, which is less appropriate for an academic task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the structure is quite basic. There is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices like 'The very first benefit', 'It also', and 'Let's take a simple example', but these are used in a somewhat mechanical way. The progression of ideas is logical, but the transitions between sentences could be smoother to create a more cohesive flow. The introduction is particularly weak as it repeats the prompt rather than paraphrasing it effectively. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'positive development', 'good', and 'awesome'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'developmental and social statergy' (strategy) and 'originally produced food'. While your meaning is clear throughout, the lack of sophisticated or topic-specific vocabulary limits your score. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to international trade, globalisation, and consumer culture.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'The topic of the statement written here, is about...' (unnecessary comma and awkward phrasing), 'outside out country' (preposition error), and 'if the ramen if available' (repetition/typo). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for minor slips would help improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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