Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some consumers are increasingly choosing to buy goods that are produced in their local area, rather than imported goods.

What are the reasons for this?

Is this a positive or a negative trend?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, more customers are increasingly choosing to buy goods that are made in their local area instead of imported goods. I believe that this is positive development because it supports local businesses and benefits the local economy.

Firstly, local businesses give product at good price and with good quality. Therefore, people choose buy goods from their instead of buying imported goods products from mall or big brands and its too costly and some time not worth it to buy . Secondly, people prefer local products because they are often fresher and more easily available. For example, customers can buy fresh vegetables and fruits from local farmers instead of purchasing imported food.

On the other hand, I believe that buying local product is positive development because it supports local economy. When people purchase goods from local stores ,small businesses earn more money and expand their business . As a result, they can create more job opportunity in local people. For example, if customers regularly buy food from local farmers, farmers can increase their production and hire more workers. Therefore, this trend can improve the local economy.

In conclusion , From my perspective ,this is positive development because improve local economy , create job opportunities , easy availability and provides good-quality products at affordable prices. These are the main reasons why people prefer to buy goods from local businesses rather than imported products.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear positive view and address both why consumers choose local goods and whether this is a positive trend. The examples of buying fresh produce from farmers and local businesses hiring workers are relevant. However, the reasons are not developed evenly: affordability and quality are asserted in the first body paragraph, while the second paragraph mainly repeats the economic benefit already stated in the introduction. The response also contains 223 words, so it is 27 words below the 250-word minimum; the 8 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop each reason with a fuller explanation or a specific example, and add a distinct reason, such as supporting local traditions or reducing transport-related impacts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “As a result” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main points. The overall progression is understandable, but cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the second body paragraph repeats the position and economic point from the introduction rather than advancing a new aspect. Some references are also unclear, as in “buy goods from their,” where the reader must infer what “their” refers to. Use clearer referencing and make each paragraph perform a distinct role—for example, explain consumer motivations first, then evaluate the wider benefits and any limitations.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “imported goods,” “local farmers,” “affordable prices” and “job opportunities.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, such as repeated use of “local economy” and “positive development.” Some collocations and forms are awkward, including “give product at good price” and “buying local product.” These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding your argument, but they make it less natural and precise. Build a wider set of expressions for explaining consumer choices and economic effects, and check that nouns are used in the appropriate singular or plural form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some longer structures, including a cause-and-effect sentence beginning “When people purchase goods from local stores” and a conditional example beginning “if customers regularly buy food.” The main message remains understandable, but errors occur in sentence construction, agreement, articles and punctuation. For example, “people choose buy” needs an infinitive marker, and “this is positive development” needs an article. In “farmers can increase their production and hire more workers,” the structure is controlled, but other sentences are less accurate, such as “because improve local economy.” Improve accuracy by checking verb patterns and ensuring each clause has a complete, correctly formed verb phrase. Use a wider range of structures with more consistent control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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