Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-09

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 4.5)

It is true that life on Earth will become harder in the future due to climate change, overpopulation . While some argue we should therefore invest heavily in finding another habitate planet like Mars, I largely disagree with this view. I believe our limited money and resources should be focused on saving the planet where we already live on.

First, the problems facing Earth are urgent but we can solve this . Rising sea levels air pollution, and food shortages already affect thousands of individuals The money required to develop clean energy, improve public transport, protect forests, and provide clean water would directly improve lives now. if we spend more money for mars missions

Second, Mars is not a realistic Mars has no breathable air, no liquid water, extreme cold, and dangerous radiation. Creating a city there would take thousands of years and would cost more money. Instead of spending excessive amount on mars missions, goverment could use these funds to solve urgent problems that affect millions of individuals in earth.

In conclusion, although space research brings scientific benefits and should continue on a limited scale, it cannot solve our survival Governments should prioritize spending on environmental protection and human welfare on Earth, which is the only truly habitable planet for us.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response is significantly off-topic. The prompt asks about the reasons for consumers choosing local goods and whether this is a positive or negative trend. However, the essay discusses space exploration and climate change, completely ignoring the topic of local versus imported goods. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. Because the task was not addressed, the score is severely limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression using transition words like 'First' and 'In conclusion'. However, because the content is irrelevant to the prompt, the overall coherence is undermined. Cohesive devices are used in a somewhat mechanical fashion, and there are instances where sentences are fragmented or lack clear logical flow, such as the incomplete sentence at the end of the first paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is limited and repetitive. The student uses basic terms like 'money', 'problems', and 'spend'. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'habitate planet' instead of 'habitable planet' and 'in earth' instead of 'on Earth'. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands, and the lack of topic-specific vocabulary is a direct result of the essay being off-topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Punctuation is inconsistent, with missing commas and periods, such as 'overpopulation . While' and 'Rising sea levels air pollution'. There are also errors in preposition usage and article omission. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the text from reaching a higher band.

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

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