Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-25

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 recent years, consumers have been buying food produced all over the world and it has become a hotly debated topic in society. In most countries in present days consumers can purchase eatable items produced all over the world from supermarkets. From my perspective, I strongly agree it is a positive development.

Some individuals think that buying food prepared all over the world is a positive development. If someone considers it a positive development there are some reasons behind it. It gives a chance to explore the food of other regions which also helps to know about its recipe, taste and ingredients. It gives the idea of diet and dishes of different regions of the world. Moreover, another reason is that it helps reduce unemployment also. Promoting the food of other regions can create a lot of opportunities for workers. These opportunities come in the form of positions for chefs, waiters and hotel managers.

On the other hand, some other people consider it a negative development and there must be some reasons behind their argument. Many of them think that the food of other areas may be unhealthy and not suitable to their stomach. Eating food of other regions may cause illness. Some individuals don't like the taste of other foods. For instance, Chinese people eat insects, snakes and other creatures of such kind but these are disliked by people in other regions.

In conclusion, buying food that is produced all over the world from supermarkets is a positive development in certain aspects while it is a negative development for other peoples due to differences in taste, ingredients, and preferences.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is stated clearly in the introduction: you consider worldwide food availability a positive development. You also present relevant reasons, including exposure to other cuisines and possible employment opportunities, and acknowledge concerns about health and differing tastes. However, the response does not fully sustain its positive position: the conclusion describes the development as both positive and negative without explaining which view ultimately prevails. Some support is also under-developed; for example, the link between imported food and jobs for “hotel managers” is asserted rather than explained, and the health concern is general. Keep your position consistent and develop each main reason with a specific explanation or example to make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for positive and negative views, and a conclusion. This makes the main points easy to locate. However, progression is limited because the second paragraph repeats the idea that there are “reasons” for a positive view before presenting them, and the conclusion introduces a balanced position that does not clearly follow the stated opinion. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated “Moreover,” “On the other hand,” and “For instance.” The reference in “these opportunities” is understandable, but the relationship between international food sales and hotel jobs could be made clearer. Organise the body around a consistent argument and use links that show the precise relationship between each claim and its support.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to discuss the topic, including “ingredients,” “unemployment,” “opportunities,” and “preferences.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the reader can generally understand your meaning. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “eatable items,” “food prepared all over the world,” and “not suitable to their stomach.” “Hotly debated topic in society” is also a broad, formulaic opening, while “other peoples” is not the intended expression for groups with different tastes. Repetition of “positive development,” “food,” and “regions” limits flexibility. Aim for more natural collocations and precise terms for imported products, cuisines, and consumer preferences; this will make the argument sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional structures such as “If someone considers it a positive development…” and a contrast clause beginning “while.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, and errors do not generally prevent understanding. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain, however. In “In most countries in present days consumers,” the time phrase and sentence punctuation need correction; “there are some reasons behind it” also has an unclear pronoun reference. The phrase “it helps reduce unemployment also” has awkward placement of “also,” and “not suitable to their stomach” shows an inaccurate grammatical pattern. Work on articles, prepositions, pronoun reference, and punctuation, while continuing to use varied sentence structures.

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.