Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-01

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 5.5)

In many countries of the world, buyers have access to imported food products that are sold in supermarkets nowadays. I think this a positive development.

Firstly, many sellers give us advantages by selling international food items on a local level. We can enjoy fruits,vegetables and many other things which are out of season, which brings you joy of eating unseasoned products from all over the world. For example, many local supermarkets in Pakistan have variety of sourced food items that you can buy anytime in any weather like they have avacado which is hard to find in Pakistan. This positive development can be a good source of income for many companies. It can enhance the economy of our country and can also provide job opportunities to great extent.

On the other hand, this might also bring negative outcomes in our society. Many poor and local sellers who are are not educated might face disadvantages.They might be unaware of dealing with import businesses that are beneficial in food industry. In this way they can face great loss in their local businesses because many wealthy families can easily afford expensive food. For example middle class families normally buy grocery from local stores but they can also afford imported things from famous supermarkets too, depending on their mood and expenses.

To conclude, I think it is a beneficial trend in food industry to manage imports in term of food categories and make all kind of imported edible items available for consumers, while in comparison there are less negative outcomes of this development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear from the opening—“I think this a positive development”—and you give relevant reasons, including access to foods unavailable locally and possible economic benefits. You also acknowledge a disadvantage for local sellers, so the response considers both sides before reaching a conclusion. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the claim that imports create jobs and strengthen the economy is asserted rather than explained, and the example about middle-class families buying imported goods does not clearly show how local sellers are harmed. To strengthen the response, explain the cause-and-effect links behind each point and use examples that directly support your argument about whether the development is positive overall.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph supporting imports, a paragraph presenting a drawback, and a conclusion. “Firstly,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help signal the stages of your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. For instance, the first paragraph moves from out-of-season produce to company income and employment without a clear link, while the example about middle-class families does not fully connect to the stated disadvantage for poor local sellers. Some linking and reference are also awkward, such as “which brings you joy” and “In this way.” Organise each body paragraph around one main point, then explain and illustrate it before moving to the next idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “imported food products,” “job opportunities,” “local businesses,” and “consumers,” which makes your main meaning clear. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “out of season” and “food industry.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, including “unseasoned products” for foods that are not in season, “sourced food items,” and “manage imports in term of food categories.” Spelling and form errors such as “avacado” and “all kind” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and precise wording; for example, describe “a variety of imported products” and explain that imports may “increase competition for local retailers.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “fruits, vegetables and many other things which are out of season” and a contrast introduced by “while.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction and punctuation. The opening says “I think this a positive development,” missing the verb “is”; “many poor and local sellers who are are not educated” repeats a verb and has an unclear modifier; and “there are less negative outcomes” uses an incorrect comparative form. Commas are also missing after introductory phrases and around examples. Check each sentence for a complete verb structure, agreement, and clear clause boundaries, then proofread punctuation.

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.