Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-18

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)

These days customers are highly inclined towards buying local goods, as compared to goods that have been imported from other countries. This substantial change could be due to a myriad reasons, which includes higher costs of imported items, and to avoid any sort of inconvenience during exchange of imported goods.

To begin with, one of the primary reasons why individuals are seemingly showing more interest in spending more money on local produce is genuine cost of local goods. To elaborate, products manufactured locally would be comparatively cheaper than imported goods. It is likely due to the amount of money saved on preservation, travelling, maintenance, and other taxes cost, which inflates the cost of import and export of products. Then, this cost is included in the actual cost of items, and customers are required to may extra on such goods. Thus, people nowadays are reluctant to buy these items.

Moreover, exchange of international goods could be a big hassle for customers, and can take quite longer unlike local items. To exemplify, a local item could be exchanged easily whenever required by visiting the store directly, however, an imported item requires a proper documentation to return any item, which could make the exchange process extremely tiring, and a wastage of time as well. Perhaps, to avoid such significant problems, customers avoid to buy imported goods.

I presume, this trend could have negative impacts on international trade, and can ultimately impact the harmony among nations. Moreover, it could be detrimental for certain businesses too, who are entirely based on import and export. Therefore, I believe that a balanced approach between buying both the local and imported item could prevent businesses from loss, and maintain peace among neighboring countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for buying local goods and the evaluation of the trend. The ideas are relevant, focusing on cost-effectiveness and the convenience of returns. However, the development of the 'positive or negative' aspect is somewhat brief. While you state it could have negative impacts on international trade, the argument could be strengthened by exploring potential benefits, such as environmental sustainability or supporting the local economy, to provide a more balanced and comprehensive discussion. Overall, the position is clear and maintained throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'To exemplify' are used effectively to guide the reader through your arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a central theme. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, although some transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to improve the flow. The use of referencing is clear, and the overall structure supports the development of your arguments well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your ideas with precision. Phrases like 'highly inclined', 'myriad reasons', and 'detrimental' show a good command of language. There are occasional minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'genuine cost' or 'wastage of time', which are understandable but slightly unnatural. You attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is a strength, but ensure that these terms are used in the most appropriate contexts to reach a higher band. Overall, the vocabulary is adequate and does not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is good control, there are some persistent errors, such as 'customers avoid to buy' (should be 'avoid buying') and 'required to may extra' (should be 'pay extra'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article usage issues. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the grammatical mistakes do not significantly impede the reader's understanding. To improve, focus on verb patterns following specific verbs and proofreading for small slips in word forms.

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