Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-29

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 5.5)

In most countries nowadays, users can go to a supermarket and purchase food which produced all over the world. I believe this is positive development because it gives a lot of options and supports international trade although it can also create problems for farmers. Overall, i believe this is a positive development.

There are many advantages when consumers buy imported products. The main advantage is that it provides vast options to the buyers. For example, when people go to the malls they can buy items of different countries like mexican food, italian food etc. There is also another benefit that it supports international trade like countries export their food and sort of things like household equipment. As a result, it increases the job market also.  There are more opportunities for farmers and transport workers.

Beside these advantages it also has drawbacks. It also create problems for farmers. Because sometimes the imported food is cheaper than locally made food. For example, sometimes it is possible that supermarkets may sell imported items cheaper than locally made items. As a result, buyers can  prefer to buy the imported items, so it automatically affects the farmers. Another drawback is that it can also effects the environment. Like when some fruit exorts from Australia to Pakistan it may travel by plane or ship which requires large amount of fuel and then it creates damage to the enviroment.

In conclusion, although it can create problems for farmers and also effects the environment, but i believe there are more benefits over disadvantages. Because it provide variety to the consumers and also promote international tade.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position that global supermarket food is a positive development while acknowledging the drawbacks. The position is maintained throughout the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Main ideas are presented, such as variety, international trade, economic benefits, impact on farmers, and environmental concerns, and supported with explanations and examples. However, some ideas remain slightly repetitive or under-developed, particularly in the examples provided, which border on generalisations rather than fully extended scenarios. Overall, the response meets the requirements for Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant ideas, though some parts could be further extended.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs discussing advantages and disadvantages, and finally a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes. Cohesive devices such as 'For example', 'Another advantage', and 'In conclusion' are utilised to connect ideas, though referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'Beside these advantages it also has drawbacks'. Pronoun referencing is generally clear, though minor cohesive slips occur. The logical flow is maintained throughout, fitting the descriptors for Band 6.0 well.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating ideas about supermarkets, international trade, and the environment. There are clear attempts to use less common vocabulary and topic-specific phrases like 'international trade', 'transport workers', and 'local made food'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'users' instead of 'consumers', 'sort of things like household equipment', and spelling/morphology slips like 'exorts' instead of 'exports' and 'effects' instead of 'affects'. These errors do not impede communication, placing the vocabulary firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating subordinating clauses such as 'although it can also create problems for farmers' and 'when some fruit exorts'. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with subject-verb agreement and word forms, such as 'food which produced' (missing auxiliary), 'it also create', 'buyers can prefer to buy', and 'it can also effects'. Punctuation errors are also present, including comma splices and missing commas. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the basic meaning remains clear throughout, justifying a Band 6.0 score.

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