Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-19
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)
It have been observed that lately, consumers are increasingly choosing to buy products that are produced in their local area, rather than the imported ones. There are two main reasons why this could be happening.
The first reason is that local goods are often cheaper compared to imported ones. Goods that come from another city or country often have import taxes associated with them. Not to forget the cost of transporting, packaging and handling. All these add to the base price of the product, making it sell on a higher price to make meaningful profits.
The second reason could be that local goods often are more targeted to local people's needs and taste. For example, Indians would prefer mangoes that are grown in India rather than the ones grown in Japan. Simply because the taste of mangoes grown in different countries vary largely and locals would always prefer the ones they are familiar with. Whether this is a positive or a negative trend is an interesting debate.
It is always good to support the local businesses and markets because it will help the sellers and farmers of our own country. Many small and medium business can't afford to export their goods and their only source of income is selling them to local markets. By buying products made in our own country, we can help these SMBs to flourish and expand.
Having said that, it is also important that we support imported items because it helps in expanding the culture, technology and knowledge beyond a specific boundary. This is also called as Globalization and it have been proved to be really positive to society since a long time. For many years, foods, spices, textiles and then later, medicines and automobiles have been exchanged across countries.
Thus, while it is important to buy goods to help the local markets, it is also equally important to contribute in globalization for a greater cause that affects humanity and people around the world.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying two reasons for the trend and providing a balanced view on whether it is positive or negative. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the discussion on import taxes and cultural exchange. However, the development of the 'positive/negative' aspect could be more nuanced; while you mention that supporting local businesses is good and globalization is also beneficial, the essay would benefit from a more explicit conclusion that synthesizes these two perspectives more clearly. Overall, the response is focused and meets the requirements of the task effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as the economic reasons for local purchasing or the benefits of globalization. Cohesive devices like 'The first reason', 'The second reason', and 'Having said that' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother in places. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, contributing to a coherent flow of information throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'flourish', 'meaningful profits', and 'globalization' appropriately. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'sell on a higher price' (should be 'at a higher price') and 'this is also called as Globalization' (should be 'this is known as globalization'). While you attempt to use more sophisticated vocabulary, some phrasing remains slightly repetitive or simplistic. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding minor errors in word formation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several recurring grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of the writing. For example, 'It have been observed' should be 'It has been observed', and 'Many small and medium business can't' should be 'Many small and medium businesses cannot'. Additionally, 'it have been proved' should be 'it has been proven'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not impede the overall meaning of the essay. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring subject-verb agreement would improve your score.
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.