Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-26

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 this twenty first century, individuals like to support local vendors in order to buy local products instead of international goods. I think this is totally positive development and I will throw some light into this on the upcoming paragraphs.

On the one hand, there are huge amount of customers purchase products which are made in their own area or country and there are various reasons behind this but one most not ignorable reason is that "price". Nowadays, the cost of the international products are extremely high compare to the local goods because it includes shipping cost and some extra taxes as well as it has not as long lasting as locally made products. For instance, the price of the electronic devices such as smartphones and laptops increase significantly compare to the past if it import from a country to another so it will be very high, therefore people choose to purchase from their own country.

On the other hand, every situation has a two side one is positive and other one is negative, so there is also negative point for this is that, shortage of the local products. Moreover, if the stock of the products is not enough for people so they are not going to purchase local goods. As an epitome, about ten years ago, India became the largest producer for clothes and individuals only bought local clothes so there was a shortage of clothes for a limited time.

To conclude, consumers always choose items which produced in their own area, city or country for better economy of that particular country rather than to buy imported goods.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for buying local and the opinion on whether it is a positive or negative trend. However, the development is inconsistent. While the reasons for buying local (price) are mentioned, the explanation is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. The discussion regarding whether the trend is positive or negative is underdeveloped; the second body paragraph focuses on a potential negative (shortage of goods) but does not clearly link this back to the overall trend or provide a balanced perspective. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'As an epitome' to introduce an example, which is not standard usage. The progression of ideas within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition from the positive/negative dichotomy to the specific example of India is abrupt. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the logical flow between sentences could be improved to ensure a smoother reading experience.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'throw some light into this' and 'one most not ignorable reason'. The word choice is often repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'products' and 'goods'. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic control. Spelling is generally accurate, but the overall lexical range is restricted.

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 impede the flow. Examples include 'huge amount of customers purchase' (subject-verb agreement), 'compare to the local goods' (should be 'compared to'), and 'it has not as long lasting' (incorrect verb usage). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with sentence boundaries and article usage throughout the text. While the errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to lower the score, as the control over complex structures is not consistent.

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

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