Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-08

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 6.5)

The growing trend of buying locally sourced products has attracted considerable attention. In my opinion this is primarily a positive development because of high import costs and a desire to support local businesses. This essay will discuss the possible reasons behind this trend in the paragraphs below followed by a conclusion.

There are several reasons why residents are more inclined towards purchasing products from locally owned businesses. The main reason is rising costs related to imported goods. In other words, whenever a commodity is bought from a foreign supplier, taxes, shipping charges and tariffs are imposed on the item. It increases the price dramatically. For example, a German car imported in India costs two times more than the actual price.

Another contributing factor is that individuals are willing to support domestic vendors instead of international suppliers. This makes them more competitive in terms of quality and freshness of the product. During the Covid-19 pandemic, India imposed restrictions on buying from Chinese stores to support small shops in the time of crisis. This lead to decline in the imports from China. Consequently, till this date residents of India are not willing to purchase Chinese goods, and want to source from small businesses because the quality is better, durable and reliable.

In my opinion, the reasons mentioned above lead us towards a positive outcome of economic and sustainable growth.

In conclusion, the development of local production and purchasing is largely driven by the fact that many people are now focusing on the financial as well as economic aspects of their countries, and I consider this a positive sign of progress.

AI examiner evaluation

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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the explanation regarding import costs is logical, the section on supporting local businesses is slightly repetitive and relies on a specific national example that could be more broadly contextualized. To reach a higher band, ensure that the discussion of the 'positive' aspect is as well-developed as the reasons, as the current conclusion and brief mention in the third paragraph are somewhat underdeveloped compared to the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'In other words,' 'For example,' and 'Consequently' are used to link sentences effectively. However, the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother, and some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the pandemic example and the broader argument about 'quality' could be more tightly integrated to improve the overall progression of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items like 'commodity,' 'tariffs,' and 'sustainable growth.' There are occasional inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'till this date' (should be 'to this day') and 'source from small businesses' (which is slightly awkward in this context). While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band. Expanding the use of topic-specific collocations would help elevate the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are error-free, there are some grammatical slips, such as 'This lead to decline' (should be 'This led to a decline') and 'a German car imported in India' (should be 'into India'). Punctuation is generally sound, but there are minor issues with article usage and verb tense consistency. The control of grammar is sufficient to ensure that the message is never obscured, but the range of complex structures is somewhat limited, preventing a higher score in this criterion.

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

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