Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-21

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. goods produced locally is gaining popularity and an increasing number of people are choosing local goods over imported goods. This essay will discuss the main reasons behind this change and why it's a positive trend for society.

The main reasons behind why many people are choosing to buy goods from local market, because of its availability and affordability. The goods which are produce locally are easily available as it doesn't require extra time for transportation. As a result, the cost of goods reduces significantly compared to the imported goods. Moreover, imported goods possess added transportation charges which increases it cost. Therefore, many consumers find it more convenient and cost-effective option to choose goods produce locally.

The second important reasons consumers prefer buying goods which are grown locally, because of its freshness and high quality. This is primarily because fruits and vegetables grown locally gets sold quickly and requires a smaller number of preservatives. Furthermore, the goods which are imported requires large number of preservatives to keep them fresh for longer time. For instance, study conducted at WHO revealed that vegetables produced with larger number of preservatives cause many diseases related to gastric and kidney. Therefore, for healthier options consumers are more drawn towards good produced locally.

In conclusion, the locally produced vegetables and fruits are easily available and cost effective. Moreover, seems like a much healthier option. Whereas goods which are imported are costly and as they use larger number of preservatives it makes them less popular option.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for choosing local goods and the evaluation of this trend as positive. The ideas are relevant, focusing on affordability, convenience, and health benefits. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the claim that local goods are always cheaper is a generalization that could be better nuanced. While the position is clear throughout, the conclusion is a bit repetitive and lacks a final synthesis of the argument. To improve, ensure that each point is supported by more specific examples or deeper analysis rather than just stating the benefits.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. There is a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate. For example, the phrase 'The main reasons behind why many people are choosing... because of...' is grammatically awkward and creates a disjointed flow. Additionally, the transition between sentences could be smoother. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more variety beyond basic connectors like 'Moreover' and 'Furthermore'.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There is some repetition of basic terms, such as 'goods' and 'locally'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'preservatives' and 'cost-effective', there are instances of word-choice errors, such as 'produce locally' instead of 'produced locally' and 'larger number of preservatives' instead of 'higher levels of preservatives'. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and a wider range of synonyms to avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'goods produced locally is gaining' should be 'are gaining') and incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'goods which are produce' should be 'produced'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with sentence fragments like 'In recent years. goods...'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and tense consistency would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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