Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-04

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)

In recent years, few citizens are dramatically purchasing local products instead of buying imported items. In my perspective, I have a balanced approach. It is a positive and a negative development.

One of the main reasons of a positive development is that once peoples purchase good from local areas, it affects the country economy. Utilizing local products boosts the economy. It will improve the standards of living. Consequently, career opportunities will be enhanced. For example, in some countries, the government encourages the public to buy the local products specially made up from their own organic products. Hence, it will lead to low tax and increase wages to the peoples.

On the other hand, another equally important factor that is a cause of negative development is the lack of globalization. If people rely more on the local products, they will cut from the imported items. Although, this is beneficial for the government, it will decrease the chances of productivity. Sometimes, imported products are really in demand. It can be because of non-availability of that specific product or any other reason. This can be illustrated by one example, in this modern era, there is an advancement in medications or technologies in European countries. If we avoid using those advancements in our routine life, we will later depend on them because of lack of experience. Besides this, this will reduce the global trade.

Overall, I believe that purchasing goods that are available in our local areas would be beneficial like it boosts the economy while it has several drawbacks such as decline in international trade market. In my opinion, citizens should use locally produced goods provided that the necessity of life should not compromised. Thus, making it a positive as well as negative development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend and the evaluation of whether it is positive or negative. The ideas are relevant, such as economic growth and the potential loss of global trade benefits. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'lack of globalization' is a bit vague and could have been better supported with more concrete examples of how local production limits innovation. While the position is clear, the explanation of the 'negative' side lacks the depth required for a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed, but the arguments remain at a general level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand', 'Consequently', and 'In my perspective', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly misused, such as 'Although, this is beneficial...' where the comma usage is incorrect. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'it affects the country economy' which lacks a specific subject. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their meaning clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'globalization' and 'advancement', but there are also instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'dramatically purchasing' instead of 'increasingly purchasing' and 'made up from' instead of 'made from'. The repetition of 'positive development' and 'negative development' suggests a limited range of synonyms. While the errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'peoples purchase good' (should be 'people purchase goods'), 'the country economy' (should be 'the country's economy'), and 'necessity of life should not compromised' (should be 'should not be compromised'). These errors are noticeable and occur in both simple and complex sentences. While the student attempts complex structures, the control over them is inconsistent, which is characteristic of the Band 6 level.

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

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