Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-23
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 6.0)
A growing number of individuals prefer to purchase domestic items instead of imported goods. While this shift can be due to familiarity and accessibility of local products, I believe this is largely a positive shift that not only contribute to economic growth but also restricts higher taxes.
One contributing reason is local products are often familiar and readily accessible. This is largely due to locally grown products such as fruits and vegetables which are available easily in supermarket at an affordable rates. For instance, In India, a number of customers choose to buy items that are domestically harvested like fresh tomatoes and apples to save their expenses over packed imported goods. Furthermore, certain imported items are often unreliable due to unverified sources. Consequently, demand for local produce and items have grown significantly.
The trend is a positive development mainly because they generate employment opportunities which leads to economic development. If a number of consumers keep purchasing domestic products over foreign-made goods will result in a wide range of job prospects. To illustrate, in Japan, due to increase in demand for domestic goods, a large number of local supermarkets recruit staffs to sell their fresh regional produce. Although native products are seasonally available, they are still sold at minimum taxes. As a result, number of jobs available in market culminates in economic growth.
In conclusion, even though a large number of individuals are increasingly choosing to purchase home-grown goods rather than imported goods due to familiar quality and accessibility. This is a positive trend because it generates number of employment for local residents which leads to overall economic growth.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend and the evaluation of whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. Ideas are relevant, such as economic growth and accessibility, and are supported with examples from India and Japan. However, some points are slightly under-developed; for instance, the claim that local goods 'restrict higher taxes' is not clearly explained or linked to the argument. Overall, the response covers all requirements well, though the depth of analysis could be improved to reach a higher band by elaborating on the causal links between local consumption and economic outcomes.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a clear progression of ideas from the reasons for the trend to the evaluation of its impact. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Consequently', and 'To illustrate' are used effectively to link sentences and ideas. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the sentence fragment in the conclusion ('Even though a large number...'). Additionally, the use of pronouns and articles is occasionally inconsistent, which slightly affects the smoothness of the text. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the logical flow is easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'domestically harvested', 'economic growth', and 'job prospects'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'restricts higher taxes' (which is unclear) and 'recruit staffs' (staff is an uncountable noun). There is also some repetition of phrases like 'imported goods' and 'local products'. To improve, the student should aim for more varied synonyms and ensure that collocations are used accurately. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'this shift... contribute', 'demand... have grown') and article usage (e.g., 'recruit staffs', 'number of jobs available in market'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as the concluding sentence which is a dependent clause standing alone. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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