Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-29
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 7.0)
In many countries today, people can go to supermarkets and buy food products that come from all around the world. In my opinion, I think this is a positive development overall because it gives people more options for eating, even though it has a few negative effects on the environment.
On the one hand, buying imported food brings many advantages for consumers. The main benefit is that people can eat different types of food throughout the whole year, regardless of the season. For example, people living in cold countries can buy tropical fruits like bananas, mangos, and pineapples even during the winter months. In addition, importing food allows people to try traditional ingredients and recipes from different countries without traveling abroad. This helps families to prepare more interesting and healthy meals at home every day.
On the other hand, there are some disadvantages to this trend. Firstly, transporting food across long distances by airplanes, ships, and trucks creates a lot of carbon emissions. This contributes to air pollution and climate change problems. Secondly, local farmers can suffer financially because cheap imported food from other countries can compete with local products. When consumers choose imported products over local ones, local farms and small businesses might lose their income.
In conclusion, although importing food can cause pollution because of long transportation and can harm some local farmers, I believe it is a positive development. It improves the daily lives of consumers by offering a wide variety of fresh food items to choose from throughout the year.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the development is positive. The ideas are relevant and well-supported with examples, such as the availability of tropical fruits in winter and the environmental impact of transport. The argument is balanced, covering both the benefits to consumers and the drawbacks for the environment and local farmers. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarises the main points. To reach a higher band, the student could further extend the development of the ideas by discussing the long-term economic implications or potential solutions to the environmental issues mentioned.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', 'Firstly', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas and sentences. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall clarity of the argument. The flow between sentences is smooth, and the referencing is clear throughout the text, meeting the requirements for a well-structured response.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is sufficient and appropriate for the task. The student uses a range of topic-specific terms such as 'imported food', 'carbon emissions', 'climate change', and 'compete with local products'. While the vocabulary is accurate and conveys the intended meaning clearly, it lacks a high degree of sophistication or idiomatic usage that would characterise the highest bands. There are no significant errors in word choice or spelling, and the language used is natural and fits the context of an academic essay well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
The essay demonstrates a good control of grammatical structures. There is a mix of simple and complex sentences, such as 'Although importing food can cause pollution... I believe it is a positive development.' The punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentences are mostly error-free. While the range of structures is adequate, the essay relies on fairly standard sentence patterns. To achieve a higher score, the student could incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical forms, such as passive voice constructions or more sophisticated conditional clauses, while maintaining the current high level of accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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