Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Individuals are buying products from the regional market instead of getting it from the other continent of the world. However, it is a positive step in favour of local sellers while it is negative for sellers around the globe. Therefore, I personally feel that there are variety of reasons for such trends and I favour the local consumers in place of imported market goods.

The interest of consumers in buying product from local markets will boost the sales of regional shop vendors. For example, the decline in shopping from local shops has effected their economy very badly. The return to choosing products from regional areas will help them recover from loses which will eventually increase the profits.

Moreover, local markets sell products which represents regional art and craft. However, it will expand their culture which once was declining due to western trends. As a consequence, this may contribute in saving the culturally rich products.

On the other hand, due to introduction of digital marketing, it is seen that a lot of people quit their 9-5 jobs and started small business. For example, starting a small crochet flower business. If folks stop buying from these small owners, then it will harshly affect them both financially and mentally.

Individuals are setting up start-ups to make extra money from importing the products to other countries such as it helps them financially independent and socially renowned. Hence, it will affect their career growth if consumers stop buying the products.

To recapitulate, it is crucial to make a balance in both the approaches. Therefore, consumers must invest in both when buying products from the local and global market.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the trend and an opinion on whether it is positive or negative. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the reasons for buying local are touched upon, the discussion regarding the global impact is slightly repetitive and lacks depth. The position is clear, but the argument could be more robustly supported with more specific examples rather than general statements about 'digital marketing' or 'crochet businesses'. The conclusion attempts to offer a balanced view, which is a good strategy, but it feels a bit rushed and does not fully synthesize the points made in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'To recapitulate', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly misused, such as the use of 'However' in the second paragraph, which does not logically contrast with the previous sentence. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the fifth paragraph where the connection between 'importing products' and 'career growth' is somewhat disjointed. Overall, the structure is coherent, but the flow between sentences could be smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their meaning clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'regional shop vendors', 'digital marketing', and 'financially independent'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'effected their economy' (should be 'affected') and 'importing the products to other countries' (which contradicts the prompt's focus on local vs. imported goods). The range of vocabulary is sufficient but lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'there are variety of reasons' (missing 'a'), 'products which represents' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'it helps them financially independent' (should be 'helps them become'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction is sometimes awkward. The control of grammar is inconsistent, and while the errors do not prevent communication, they are frequent enough to limit the score.

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

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