Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-07-31

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 7.0)

Rise of large shopping malls has lead to closure of many local shops. Undoubtedly, people get varieties of products under one roof in malls. However, small shops are being significantly developed negatively. The reasons for this will be discussed below with relevant examples.

To begin with, small business man would loss their source of income. There are numerous self-employed people who depend on their small business for their living. These people had made surplus investment for starting up business which are drowned with the opening of large malls. As a result, an individual might face mental stress and anxiety from the shock of their closed businesses. Moreover, shutting down of local shops would also harm the local economy. The rural areas would not get a chance to develop because of closing small businesses. Numerous people loss their jobs when local shops close which would directly affect the local community.

Small shops provide unique personal experience. Whenever any individual visit small shops the shopkeeper welcome them warmly and even ask for tea or coffee. The demands of each individual is being concerned very carefully. Not unlike large malls with crowded places where customers left unattended. Consequently, customers are being more satisfied which helps to retain the customers. This would also help to grow the small business largely. For example, numerous business in rural area has been successful in growing their business.

To conclude, malls often offer numerous benefits to local people but it has a significant impact on small shops .Preserving local business not only support the economy of particular country as well as makes a unique bonding with the customer. Therefore, this trend should be considered as negative development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position that the closure of local shops is a negative development. The ideas are relevant, focusing on the economic impact on small business owners and the loss of personal customer service. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding the 'rural economy' is mentioned but not fully explored with specific evidence. While the position is clear throughout, the supporting points could be more deeply extended to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is fully addressed with a consistent viewpoint.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Consequently' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from the economic impact to the personal value of local shops. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as 'Not unlike large malls with crowded places where customers left unattended'. Despite these minor issues, the paragraphing is appropriate and the overall structure is coherent.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'surplus investment' and 'significantly developed negatively'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'small business man would loss their source of income' (should be 'lose') and 'drowned with the opening' (should be 'wasted' or 'lost'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, such as 'numerous business in rural area has been successful' (should be 'businesses... have') and 'customers left unattended' (should be 'are left'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in spacing and sentence construction. The errors are noticeable but rarely prevent the reader from understanding the intended meaning. To improve, the writer should focus on consistent subject-verb agreement and correct verb forms.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.