Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-14

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, it has become increasingly common for people to buy goods from locally rather than outsourcing. In my opinion, imported goods are heavily taxes, finding native source produce and long lasting to the consumer genuinely rewarded and sustainable for the community.

There are several reasons for people to choose domestic sources. Firstly, domestic goods are grow and distributed locally makes economically advantageous for the country. Goods such as foods, medicine and clothes produce in the local environment helps to create employment in various fields. Secondly, goods are made in local environment are long lasting and Eco-friendly. A fruits and vegetable are the prime examples to serve the community as a fresh produce.

However, I believe that excessive depend on the imported goods makes negative consequences. Heavily tax over the period will reduce the consumption of the goods. For example, materials that are imports for the making house such as metal, woods imported from the countries would applied heavy taxes due to import duty. This can make heavy tariff and taxes directly burden to the citizen of nation. Although goods are available in wide range makes sellers difficult to storage and may lead to make a storage house for imported goods.

In conclusion, although imported goods are available in wide range, I believe that locally sources produce are allow communities to have fresh and easy to access and return. Imported items are compete to the cal makes people to buy local item more sustainable and easy to find on the shelves.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for buying local and the evaluation of the trend. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. While you mention economic benefits and environmental impact, the arguments are often underdeveloped or unclear, such as the confusing explanation regarding import duties and storage. The position is generally clear, but the lack of precise supporting evidence makes the argument less persuasive. To improve, ensure each paragraph focuses on a single, well-explained point with clear examples that directly relate to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as the transition 'Although goods are available in wide range makes sellers difficult to storage'. Some sentences lack logical flow, making it difficult to follow the progression of your argument. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the connection between ideas within paragraphs needs to be strengthened to ensure a smoother reading experience. Improving the use of linking words like 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in contrast' would help.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary range is limited and often repetitive. There are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'outsourcing' (used incorrectly to mean buying locally), 'heavily taxes' (should be 'heavily taxed'), and 'excessive depend' (should be 'excessive dependence'). These errors occasionally impede communication, requiring the reader to re-read to understand the intended meaning. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise terminology and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'domestic goods are grow'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'would applied'), and missing articles or prepositions. These errors are noticeable and sometimes make the text difficult to parse. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the high frequency of errors in basic sentence construction prevents a higher score. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage.

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.