Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-24

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)

It is becoming a common practice by people to choose goods which are locally produced rather than opting for goods which are imported from outside manufacturers. There are various factors which contribute to this change and I firmly believe that it is a positive trend both for consumers and manufacturers.

First and Foremost, it is significantly cheaper to purchase from a neighboring area rather than paying extra price for imported products. Cost of transportion and importing taxes are already reduced in buying an item from a local store such as grocery, produce which make up a huge difference over the time. Moreover, trust is a major factor when buying locally because it gives them access to the manufacturer if something goes wrong. For example, consumer can get back to local manufacturer much faster if they face difficulties or broken parts while buying a wooded furniture.

In tandem with this, it is a highly positive trend because a growing number of people believe that by supporting local manufacturing they are contributing in building a economy which will keep the money circulating among themselves whereas importing products will take out the money from local system. Furthermore, more the money local manufacturers have more extensively they can grow their business, which will develop growing local economy. For example, if consumers buy more often from a local bakery store not only they will help the store but also help build local brands eventually.

To conclude, this trend of buying locally helps both the purchaser and the consumer and at the same time building trust between both parties.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by explaining the reasons for buying local goods and clearly stating a position that this is a positive trend. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as saving on transportation costs and building trust with local manufacturers. For instance, the mention of purchasing wooden furniture and dealing with broken parts grounds the argument in a relatable scenario. However, some ideas could be further extended to reach higher band levels; for example, the economic arguments in the third paragraph are slightly repetitive and could be elaborated with more sophisticated detail regarding macroeconomic impacts. Nevertheless, the position is clear throughout, and all aspects of the prompt are covered competently, which aligns well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays clear logical organisation and a progression of ideas throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with an introduction that outlines the stance, followed by paragraphs dedicated to reasons and the evaluation of the trend, and concluding appropriately. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as 'First and Foremost', 'Moreover', and 'In tandem with this'. However, some of the referencing and transitions feel a little mechanical, and the conclusion slightly mislabels the purchaser and consumer dynamic ('helps both the purchaser and the consumer'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, maintaining an overall coherent arrangement that satisfies the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.0, ultimately meriting a solid 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'manufacturers', 'neighboring area', 'circulating', and 'macroeconomic' concepts implied through 'extensively they can grow their business'. There are, however, several lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'transportion' (spelling error), 'importing taxes' (instead of import taxes), and 'bakery store' (redundant, as a bakery is already a store). Despite these slips, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary used is sufficient for the reader to follow the arguments clearly. This performance reflects the characteristics of Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with several successful complex structures employed, such as conditional clauses ('if consumers buy more often...') and relative clauses ('goods which are locally produced'). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout the text, including article omissions and errors like 'It is becoming a common practice by people' (instead of for people), 'Cost of transportion and importing taxes are already reduced in buying' (preposition and gerund issues), and 'contributing in building a economy' (an instead of a, and preposition misuse). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a Band 7.

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

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