Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-13

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)

It has been observed that many customers are prefer to purchase products which have been produced in the same area where they live. There are a myriad of reasons of this situation. I presume that the benefits of this precautionary action would be surpass its drawbacks. My inclination we be elaborated in the ensuing paragraphs with relevant examples.

On the one hand, there are several causes of why people prefer to grab items which have been manufacture in their near industries. Lower price can be prime reason that force them to buy products. Because they consider that imported items are expensive as compared to exported, as there are lots of charges have been applied on the imported products. For example, most Indian women tend to buy suits which produced in India, they avoid to get international suits, because taxes and other charges they need to pay extra. Trust is another reason that force them to use local products. Because they they know the brand and quality.

On the hand, it is a positive trend if people tend to buy thing from their local area, because this situation can assist to boost economy. To explain this, if local people tend to purchase items from their area, then producers would prefer to manufacture more items in order to fulfil demands. Similarly, this demands can rise more job opportunities for individuals of their local area.

In conclusion, people can purchase local items at lower cost, and it can be grate opportunities to get work to earn money.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the trend and the evaluation of whether it is positive or negative. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention economic benefits and job creation, the explanation remains superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'lower price' as a reason for buying local is often factually debatable, as local goods can sometimes be more expensive due to smaller production scales. The response would benefit from more nuanced examples and a deeper exploration of the 'positive/negative' aspect to move beyond basic assertions. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the points made in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand' and 'In conclusion'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as 'On the hand' (missing 'other') and 'Similarly, this demands can rise'. The progression of ideas within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing, making the flow feel a bit disjointed at times. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one without relying on repetitive structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of word-choice errors or awkward collocations, such as 'grab items' instead of 'purchase products', 'near industries' instead of 'local industries', and 'grate opportunities' (spelling error: 'great'). You rely on basic vocabulary throughout the essay. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and less common lexical items related to economics and consumer behavior, while ensuring they are used accurately in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently make errors in verb forms and sentence construction, such as 'customers are prefer' (should be 'customers prefer'), 'reasons of this situation' (should be 'reasons for'), and 'this demands can rise' (should be 'this demand can increase'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement throughout the text. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to distract the reader and indicate a lack of control over more complex grammatical structures.

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.