Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In recent years, numerous people have started buying local products rather than buying goods which are imported from different countries. There are several reason to it and can have both image to it. While this trend has advantages and disadvantages, on the positive side it would boot local communities, create employment but, and can also lead to several drawbacks such as compromise in quality.

To begin with, high prices of imported goods, import duties, customs charges, these charges can make goods very expensive. Everyone cannot afford it, so people have adapted to buy local goods as compared to imported goods.

On the one hand, buying goods which are produce locally lead to positive change. It would help small vendors to expand in their business, they can generate more revenue and employment for local people. Moreover, it will raise awareness and promote to help local business in terms of sales. For instance, if people buy products which are locally produce, they will get it more cheaper than the product which is imported form elsewhere. It would also boot the economy and individuals can save some money in form of tax as local products would fall under low taxation category.

On the other hand, buying local products may have certain drawbacks such as the quality of goods won't be as good as the product which is imported, so people would need to compromise in quality.

Firstly, sometimes if the demand is high for a specific products, but a small vendor or a business cannot fulfill the demand in the market as it would not have sufficient human resource or funds to capture the high demand. So, unfortunately people will go after imported goods as they might not have this scarcity for products.

In conclusion, promoting to buy local is a positive tend and can also have some negative impact on consumer. Therefore, I would consider this trend as both a positive and a negative based on peoples choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the trend and whether it is positive or negative. However, the development is inconsistent. While the reasons for buying local are touched upon, the discussion regarding the 'positive or negative' aspect is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. The conclusion is vague, stating the trend is 'both a positive and a negative' without clearly synthesising the arguments presented. To improve, ensure each body paragraph provides a clear, distinct point supported by specific examples rather than general statements. The position is identifiable but could be more consistently maintained throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the phrase 'but, and can also lead to' in the introduction is disjointed. Transitions between ideas are sometimes abrupt, such as the shift between the benefits of local business and the drawbacks of quality. While there is a logical progression, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word-choice errors, such as 'boot local communities' (likely meaning 'boost') and 'get it more cheaper' (a grammatical error combined with redundant comparative structure). The range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, but the student relies on basic terminology. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more sophisticated collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing like 'buying goods' or 'imported goods' by using synonyms or paraphrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and word form, such as 'there are several reason to it' and 'goods which are produce locally'. Punctuation is also problematic, particularly with comma splices and run-on sentences. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. To improve, the student should focus on basic grammatical accuracy, specifically verb tenses and pluralisation, before attempting more complex sentence structures.

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