Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-25

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 countries nowadays, consumers can go to marts and buy food produced all over the world. In my opinion it is a positive development because people can buy whatever they want they don’t have to wait for the seasonal food.

In modern world food is produced all over the world. Different countries have different season at the same time because of the rotation of Earth around the sun. Different crops and fruits require different weather conditions to grow so at the same time many crops and fruits are produced around the world. These are then exported to many countries around the world. For instance, mango trees produce fruit in summer season in May to August in Pakistan which is then exported to Australia where is winter season during these months. People can go to supermarket and buy these mangoes in winter season. Similarly, there are no crops grown in Saudi Arabia but the supermarkets in that countries are filled with the food and fruits produced all over the world which makes the consumers satisfied that they can buy and eat anything they want. Supermarket also made it easy for the consumers to buy whatever they want in one place. All the required things including food is available in one place.

Consumers buying food produced all over the world from supermarkets is a positive development in today’s world. In this busy life they can buy whatever they want including the food that is not produced in their country and they don’t have to wait for a specific season to buy a specific product.

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 limited. While you provide examples like mangoes in Australia and food availability in Saudi Arabia, the argument remains focused almost exclusively on convenience and seasonal availability. To achieve a higher band, you should explore the broader implications of this trend, such as the environmental impact of food miles or the economic benefits for developing nations. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, merely restating the introduction rather than synthesising the points made.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'For instance' and 'Similarly', to link your examples. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as 'in that countries' (referring to Saudi Arabia). The transition between the second and third paragraphs is weak, as the final paragraph essentially repeats the sentiment of the introduction without adding new depth or a strong concluding thought.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'exported', 'seasonal food', and 'weather conditions'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simple phrasing. There are also minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'marts' (which is informal in this context) and 'in that countries' (grammatical error affecting lexical accuracy). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to global trade and consumerism.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the rotation of Earth'), pluralisation ('in that countries'), and verb agreement ('supermarket also made it easy'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'where is winter season'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve the accuracy of your writing.

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

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