Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-26

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 6.5)

In the contemporary world, global trade allows supermarkets to stock food items imported from various corners of the globe. While this trade introduces several economical and ecological challenges, I believe it is a predominantly positive development because it enhance dietary diversity and stabilize food security.

On the one hand, the globalization of food production carries noteable drawbacks. The primary concern is the environmental impact associated with "food miles". Transporting perishable items across aceans via airplanes and cargo ships generates significant amount of green house gas emission, accelerating climate change. Furthermore, the influx of cheap, mass-produced international goods can severely undermin local agriculture economies. Small-scale domestic farmers often find it difficult to compete with the pricing of heavily subsidized foreign imports, forcing many out of business.

On the other hand, the benefits of global food availability greatly outweigh these concerns. First, it ensures stable supply of nutritious food year-round. Consumers are no longer restricted by seasonal limitations, meaning vitamins and essential nutrients from fruits and vegetables remain accessible even during local winters. Second, it enriches culinary experience and foster cultural integration as people can experience authentic ingredients from different cultures. Finally, the global network provides vital lifelines to developing nations, where agricultural exports serve as a primary source of national income.

In conclusion, although the international transport of food strains the environment and challenges local markets, the advantages of diverse, realiable, and globally connected food supply are far more significant. Ultimately, it elevates the global standard of living and ensures the food security

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position right from the introduction and maintaining it throughout the essay. The writer considers both sides of the argument, acknowledging the environmental and economic drawbacks such as 'food miles' and the impact on local agriculture, before arguing strongly that the benefits of dietary diversity and stable food security outweigh these negatives. Ideas are extended and well-supported with relevant explanations, such as the discussion on seasonal limitations and developing nations. The response meets the requirements of Band 7 well, as all parts of the prompt are addressed with a clear stance and well-developed supporting ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured effectively into distinct paragraphs, featuring a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately and appropriately, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used sufficiently. However, there are minor cohesion and referencing flaws, such as a missing article in 'stable supply', which place the response comfortably within the Band 7 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary that allows for some flexibility and precision, using terms such as 'contemporary world', 'dietary diversity', 'perishable items', and 'cultural integration'. There are attempts to use less common lexical items with a general awareness of collocation, although some minor inaccuracies occur, such as writing 'aceans' instead of 'oceans', 'green house gas emission' instead of 'greenhouse gas emissions', 'undermin' instead of 'undermine', and 'realiable' instead of 'reliable'. Despite these spelling and word-form errors, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary is adequate for a Band 6.5 or 7.0; given the positive marking policy, a Band 7 is awarded for the overall communicative effectiveness and range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer uses a good variety of complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses starting with 'While this trade introduces...' and participial phrases like 'Transporting perishable items...'. There are numerous error-free sentences demonstrating good control of grammar. However, a few persistent errors are present, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'it enhance' instead of 'it enhances', 'foster' instead of 'fosters'), missing articles (e.g., 'ensures stable supply'), and spelling slips like 'noteable'. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the final sentence is slightly truncated ('ensures the food security'). These minor errors do not impede communication, matching the Band 7 descriptor where frequent error-free sentences are combined with good control despite minor persistent flaws.

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