Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-01

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 6.0)

All over the world, supermarkets or supershops have proved to be a widely popular choice for purchasing food, among many other goods. I believe this is one of the positive shifts in the paradigm of shopping, even though a few regulatory factors should be imposed in order to enhance their strong sides.

The biggest strength of the supershops according to me is, they usually contain a wide variety of products, ranging from fruits, vegetables, regular cooking ingredients, processed snacks etc., upto non-vegetarian options like meat, fish etc. If you visit a supershop, you are very likely to find all types of foods you will need over the next month, all at one place. Furthermore, they generally contain materials relevant to other household works, and clothes, stationery, souvenirs among many other things. Hence it can practically be considered as a mini shopping mall!

Another positive side of the supershops is that often you can purchase products at a discount, enabling you to save some money as well. Furthermore, some of us are actually quite busy to cook for ourselves; in the supershops, processed frozen foods are available which you can readily cook at your home within minutes, saving you a lot of time.

A bright perspective of supershops often not talked about is that they actually serve as a good place where you can roam around and enjoy some quality time. Speaking for myself, in my locality there are not many options to hang out with friends or to have a refreshing time. But since a supershop has been built close to my house, I often visit there to roam around and spend a good load of time relaxing and checking things out, sometimes without even purchasing anything!

Nothing good comes without any trade-offs. In some supershops, expired goods are often sold, which can lead to severe consequences. Moreover, some supershops charge more than the usual rate for selective products, which is sort of a harassment of the customers.

Even though there are some challenges to be tackled, I think the positive sides of supermarkets heavily outweigh their shortcomings; and the drawbacks can easily be overcome by proper awareness from both the customers and the authority.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response partially addresses the prompt by discussing supermarkets and whether they are positive or negative, but it misses the specific core focus of the task question: food produced all over the world (globalization and imported food). Instead of focusing on international food supply chains, food miles, or global trade, the essay focuses generally on the benefits of supermarkets, such as offering a wide variety of products, discounts, convenience foods, and a place to hang out. While a clear position is stated that supermarkets are positive, the ideas remain limited and under-developed regarding the global aspect of food production. To achieve a higher band, the response must directly address the implications of consuming globally sourced food rather than supermarkets in general.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is utilized effectively to separate different points, such as product variety, discounts, leisure aspects, and drawbacks. Cohesive devices are generally present, using terms like 'Furthermore', 'Hence', and 'Moreover' to link ideas. However, referencing and transitions can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or conversational. To move to the next band, the logical progression could be smoother, ensuring that each paragraph flows naturally into the next with more sophisticated and less repetitive cohesive framing.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'paradigm of shopping', 'regulatory factors', and 'shortcomings'. Meaning is conveyed clearly despite some informal phrasing, such as 'supershops', 'hang out', and 'good load of time', which are slightly too colloquial for an academic essay. There are also minor word choice inaccuracies, like 'harassment of the customers' instead of exploitation or unfair pricing. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of precise, sophisticated, and formal lexical items consistently throughout the text.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response displays a good variety of sentence structures, mixing simple and complex forms effectively. The writer demonstrates good control of grammar and punctuation, with frequent error-free sentences, such as complex conditional or concessive clauses like 'Even though there are some challenges to be tackled, I think the positive sides...'. Minor errors do occasionally occur, such as preposition usage ('busy to cook' instead of 'busy cooking') and minor punctuation slips, but these errors rarely impede communication and do not strain the reader. This strong control over sentence patterns secures a solid performance for grammar.

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