Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-25

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)

It is widely believed that consumers in today's world are increasingly inclined towards goods that are produced locally, instead of imported ones. This essay will outline the reasons behind this shift, which are due to superior quality and economic factors, and assert that it is a positive development because it diminishes environmental concerns and boosts employment opportunities.

One of the primary reasons why consumers drawn towards locally produced goods is that they provide superior quality of food. This is largely attributed to the fact that consumers believe that the food, which is produced locally, is free from excessive chemical fertilisers. That is to say deeply ingrained belief of individuals wields that the food which is produced in their local communities are more environmentally sustainable. In simple words, consumers contend that they can acquire a sense of satisfaction, regarding decisions towards healthy meals, by observing the growth process of these locally produced goods.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 152 words. This significant under-length prevents the development of the ideas required by the prompt. While you have identified reasons for the trend and stated a position, the discussion is incomplete. You have not addressed the second part of the prompt regarding the positive or negative nature of the trend in any depth, and the essay ends abruptly. To improve, you must expand your arguments with specific examples and ensure all parts of the prompt are fully explored to meet the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay shows a basic attempt at logical organization, with an introduction and the start of a body paragraph. However, the lack of a full essay structure due to the word count issue makes it difficult to assess overall progression. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One of the primary reasons' and 'That is to say', but the flow is interrupted by the incomplete nature of the text. Paragraphing is present, but the development within the paragraph is repetitive and lacks sufficient depth to demonstrate higher-level cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey your ideas, using terms like 'environmentally sustainable' and 'ingrained belief'. However, there are some awkward collocations and phrasing, such as 'consumers drawn towards' (missing 'are') and 'wields that the food... are' (subject-verb agreement error). The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. Expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary related to economics and environmental impact would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that affect clarity. For example, 'consumers drawn towards' lacks the auxiliary verb 'are', and 'the food which is produced in their local communities are' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('food' is singular). Additionally, 'wields that' is an incorrect usage in this context. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and accurate verb usage will improve your accuracy.

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

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