Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-08

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 6.5)

The growing preference for locally produced goods raises the question of whether this is a positive or negative development. In my opinion, it is a positive trend and has several economic benefits. With the help of this essay I would like to discuss those in further paragraphs.

Firstly, consumers are moving towards local products because of various reasons. Take for instance, local products are cheaper in cost, as they were produced within the same country and it promotes independence as we don't have to rely on imported products. Moreover, it also helps in boosting the economy, which is extremely important for any nation in the current times.

Secondly, to handle situations like tariffs. For example, because of political reasons, last year the United States of America had applied plenty of tariffs over the Canadian Government, due to that prices of imported food items had seen a sharp increase. As a result, Canada has started exploring their locally produced goods in order to tackle the situation. Nevertheless, it helped in building the trust of general public among their fellow Canadians and similarly such issues could easily be handled in the future.

However, critics may argue that by doing this it will impact market pricing. To illustrate further, many countries import goods because it provides variety and competition to their fellow producers. Ultimately, general public choose which product they want to buy without doing a compromise on the quality and cost. It also helps avoid monopoly businesses.

To conclude, both sides present strong arguments. However, I still opine that, local made products is better choice and this trend should continue further. Considering the major reason of increased consumption, such as, to become self sufficient, to handle difficult times like war and tariffs, it is a positive trend and right one as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend and the writer's opinion on whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the reasons (cost, independence, tariffs) are relevant, the explanation of the 'negative' side in the fourth paragraph is slightly underdeveloped and lacks a strong counter-argument to the writer's own position. To reach a higher band, the student should provide more specific, nuanced examples and ensure that the discussion of the 'positive' trend is balanced with a more thorough exploration of the potential downsides.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'Nevertheless', and 'To illustrate further' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'With the help of this essay I would like to discuss those in further paragraphs.' Additionally, the referencing in the second paragraph ('their locally produced goods') is slightly ambiguous regarding who 'their' refers to. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'tariffs', 'monopoly', and 'self-sufficient'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'applied plenty of tariffs over the Canadian Government' (should be 'imposed tariffs on') and 'without doing a compromise' (should be 'without compromising'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Expanding the range of collocations and idiomatic expressions would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'local made products is better choice' (should be 'locally-made products are a better choice') and 'the general public choose' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor errors in sentence construction that occasionally distract the reader. While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these small errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage would be beneficial.

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

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