Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-01

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 global availability of food in supermarket is a phenomenon that transformed the way of people shop and eat. Consumers can buy each and everything from the supermarket. Products from all over the world are available in the supermarket. It has many positive and negative aspects.

Firstly, lets talk about positive points. It saves the time of people because people don't need to search their desire things from every shop, all things are accessible in the super mart. In the supermarkets of developed countries like America, Canada, France, the seasonal-off fruits and vegetables are available. Moreover, many products that are not found or grow in their native country , import from the another country that enhance the economy of that country which exports their goods. In the off-seasonal time supermarket offers sales it is a great benefit. Additionally, supermarket opens the whole day or 24 hours, what a benefit it is.

Lets talk about negative drawbacks. The negative points of supermarket are more than positive aspects. Firstly, it has adversely effect on the environment. Imported things are brought through the ships, trucks and other heavy vehicles which could increase the air pollution. In supermarket, there are many good quality things but they are very expensive. Some people buy the expensive and good quality food from supermarket which effects the local agriculture and farmers. Supermarket gives high quality and expensive seeds, fertilizers and sprays but if they can't work, people loss their money. There is a large crowd in the supermarket which can cause robbery and people lost some important things

In short, there are both positive and negative aspects. But it is benefit for country and their people and harms the environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both positive and negative aspects of global food availability. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the point about 'robbery' in supermarkets is not clearly linked to the topic of global food trade, and the argument regarding 'seeds and fertilizers' is tangential. While a position is stated, it lacks a clear, consistent stance throughout the essay, as the conclusion is somewhat contradictory by stating it is both beneficial and harmful without a nuanced synthesis. To reach a higher band, you should focus on developing fewer points with more depth and logical connection to the core topic of global food distribution.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'Firstly' and 'Moreover'. Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, particularly in the second paragraph where the jump from seasonal fruits to economic benefits and then to store opening hours feels disjointed. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final sentence where 'it' refers vaguely to the entire phenomenon. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly improve the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic descriptors like 'good quality' and 'positive points'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'search their desire things' instead of 'find their desired items' and 'seasonal-off fruits' instead of 'out-of-season produce'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary and occasional errors in word formation limit the score. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific terminology related to global trade, logistics, and environmental impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede fluency. Examples include 'it has adversely effect' (should be 'an adverse effect'), 'import from the another country' (should be 'another country'), and 'people loss their money' (should be 'lose'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and incorrect capitalization. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage would be a beneficial next step for your grammar.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.