Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-12

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 6.0)

In most parts of the world, people commonly purchase imported food at the supermarket. This change in trend has benefited many by providing variety and convenience, and undoubtedly its advantages outweigh the drawbacks that are associated with it.

On the one hand, a wider variety of food items is available as a result of globalisation, allowing consumers to choose from more options. This is regardless of local production and seasonal availability, which makes purchase convinent. Moreover, imported foods are perceived as higher quality, more exotic, and prestigious, attracting urban consumers who are seeking variety. In addition, mass production of goods is actually cheaper than small-scale alternatives, allowing these items to be sold at a lower price than local goods.

Nevertheless, domestic production is taking a big hit due to this change in trend. If global trade and mass purchases of imported foods continue, local production is likely to diminsh that can lead to negative economic growth. Furthermore, local farmers are facing challenges to keep up with international prices due to production costs, which is further hindering their selling power. For instance, a domestic farmer pays more for the delivery and production of food items for a small batch and has to charge accordingly and can not compete with big brands that distribute products in big batches, incurring the same transport charges. This competition discourages local people from producing food domestically; however, government subsidies to producers can solve this problem significantly.

To sum up, the benefits of a wider variety and lower prices attract people to buy imported foods, and this kind of convenience is well appreciated by most people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing the availability of global food in supermarkets and clearly stating a position that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. The writer presents relevant ideas such as dietary variety, convenience, and lower prices on the positive side, alongside economic impacts on local farmers on the negative side. These ideas are generally well extended and supported, such as in the explanation of small-batch versus mass-distribution transport costs. However, the conclusion is somewhat abrupt and incomplete, failing to fully restate the main arguments or synthesise the final stance. Nevertheless, the core requirements of the task are adequately met, corresponding to a Band 6.5 or 7.0 descriptor profile, settling at a solid Band 6.0 due to the underdeveloped conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs discussing opposing sides. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct separation of ideas between paragraphs. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well, including transitional phrases such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', 'Nevertheless', and 'Furthermore'. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive, and the concluding paragraph is far too brief to properly tie the essay together. Despite these minor flaws, the progression of ideas remains clear throughout the main body of the text, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and subject-specific terminology such as 'globalisation', 'seasonal availability', 'domestic production', and 'government subsidies'. There are some minor word choice and spelling inaccuracies, such as writing 'convinent' instead of 'convenient' and 'diminsh' instead of 'diminish'. Additionally, phrasing like 'taking a big hit' is slightly informal for an academic task. However, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, and errors do not impede communication. This performance aligns closely with the Band 6.0 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating varied structures such as conditional clauses ('If global trade... continue, local production is likely to diminish...') and participial phrases. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, such as 'diminsh that can lead to negative economic growth' (incorrect relative clause linkage) and 'can not compete with big brands that distribute products in big batches, incurring the same transport charges' (run-on structure). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and errors rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the argument without severe difficulty. This represents a typical Band 6.0 grammatical profile.

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