Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-07

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)

Many people nowadays prefer to purchase locally produced goods instead of imported goods. This shift in consumers behaviour is driven from choosing good products, highly freshness and environmental concerns. I am convinced that, this is the positive trend as owning it benefits in both the environment and communities.

One of the main reason for local products it provide best quality of foods and freshness. For instance, locally grown fruits and vegetables are usually reached consumers more quickly instead of imported ones, making them freshener and more nutritions. By purchasing, locally goods consumers support small business and strengthened the economy.

I believe this is the positive trend for several reasons. One of the main reason is that, buying local products reduce the needs for long-distance transportation, which facilitate to protect the environment. This act can lead to be more employment opportunities and giving better lifestyles. For instance, many farmers markets have allow consumers to buy fresh farmed products while ensuring that the farmers received fair prices. However, imported goods still have an important role because they provide better quality products which are not available in local areas. They often offer consumers a wide variety of choices. Nevertheless, when suitable local alternatives are available, chosing them social, environmental and economical benefits.

In conclusion, people choose local products goods because they are high quality, freshness and the opportunities to support local business. Overall, I believe that, this is a positive impact in our societies as it promotes development in agricultures, strengthens local business and reduces environmental damage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for choosing local goods and the evaluation of whether this is a positive or negative trend. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, while you mention 'environmental concerns' and 'supporting small businesses,' these points could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, restating points already made without adding further insight. To improve, ensure each body paragraph fully explores the 'why' behind your arguments rather than just listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'For instance,' 'However,' and 'Nevertheless,' to link sentences. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'This act can lead to be more employment opportunities.' Additionally, there are instances where referencing is slightly unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more variety and precision to ensure that ideas connect seamlessly rather than feeling like a list of points.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'consumers,' 'transportation,' and 'economical benefits.' However, there are several errors in word form and collocation that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'highly freshness' (should be 'high freshness'), 'more nutritions' (should be 'more nutritious'), and 'chosing them social... benefits' (missing a verb). You attempt to use some less common vocabulary, but the inaccuracies in word choice prevent a higher score. Focusing on correct word forms and collocations will significantly improve your lexical range and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. Examples include 'This shift... is driven from choosing' (should be 'driven by'), 'One of the main reason' (should be 'reasons'), and 'many farmers markets have allow' (should be 'have allowed'). These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you move toward a higher band.

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

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