Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In recent years, many small local shops have closed because customers travel to large shopping centres or malls to do their shopping.

Is this a positive or a negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Nowadays, shopping centres are more popular. People loves to visit there. Many love like to buy the things from malls and splurge lots of money on that. Most of people were following herd mentality while shopping.

I agree that many small local shops have closed because customers travel to large shopping centres or malls to do their shopping because, they can find everything at one place. Different kind of brands and good qaulity products. People loves the ambience of the place. When there is festivals people went for shopping in malls it was decorated and covered with sparkling lights kids loves to cherish that moment. Besides shopping you might find foodcourt where you can eat delicious snacks. eg the place where i live people often went to shopping centres only because they will get varities of clothes and other stuffs at one place.

I disgree, people went to local stores and buy the stuffs from there. It includes toys, clothes, jewellery & food items etc. It will be benificial for local people as well as small income consuming people. It will fun to buy stuffs from different areas. Things from local store is much afforadable as compared to malls & shopping centres. eg shop near market areas it is way more cheaper than the price of the malls.

As per my conclusion i believe that shopping is based on the how the stuffs you have wheather you want affordable , good qaulity, different varities, kind of unquie etc. So shopping from both small local shops and malls is amazing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You discuss both malls and local shops and give relevant reasons, such as malls offering many products in one place and local shops being more affordable. However, the task asks whether the closure of small shops is a positive or negative development, and your position is not clear: you first say “I agree” with the reasons people choose malls, then “I disagree” and conclude that shopping at both is “amazing.” This does not directly judge the development or explain its wider effects. The examples are brief and mostly general, so the ideas remain under-developed. The response is also 240 words, below the 250-word minimum; the 19 words copied from the prompt were not counted. State clearly whether the closures are positive or negative, then develop and support that view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

Your response has separate paragraphs for the introduction, malls, local shops and conclusion, which gives it some basic organisation. You also use linking expressions such as “Besides” and “As per my conclusion.” However, there is no clear progression towards a consistent answer: the mall paragraph supports one side, the next begins “I disagree,” and the conclusion shifts to saying both options are good. Some connections are also abrupt, as in “Different kind of brands and good qaulity products,” which is not linked grammatically to the preceding sentence. The repeated use of “eg” introduces examples, but these are not fully explained. Build each paragraph around one clear point and use the conclusion to reinforce the same position stated in the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “shopping centres,” “local stores,” “affordable,” “ambience” and “varieties,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, particularly “stuffs,” “things” and repeated references to “malls.” Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate, such as “herd mentality while shopping,” “small income consuming people” and “cherish that moment.” Spelling errors, including “qaulity,” “disgree,” “benificial” and “afforadable,” also make the writing less clear and polished. Aim for more precise terms for customers, products and local businesses, and check spelling carefully. More accurate collocations would help express your ideas without changing their meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both short sentences and longer structures, including a sentence beginning “because customers travel…” and one using “Besides shopping.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “People loves” and “kids loves,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “When there is festivals people went,” which mixes an incorrect singular construction with past tense. Several fragments, such as “Different kind of brands and good qaulity products,” are not complete sentences. Articles, plurals and punctuation also need attention. Practise writing complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and tense consistency before adding more complex clauses.

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

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