Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-03

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 6.5)

In recent years, a significant number of small local shops have been forced to close down as consumers increasingly prefer travelling to large shopping centres or malls. In my opinion, this is a completely negative development because it creates inconvenience for buyers and severely impacts the local economy.

The main reason why this trend is detrimental is that visiting large malls requires extra travelling, which consumes a considerable amount of time. Instead of walking to a nearby neighborhood store for daily essentials, people end up spending hours in traffic and walking through massive complexes. Furthermore, the modern retail setup in these centres is designed to encourage impulse buying. Customers often walk in with a minimal shopping list but end up purchasing items they do not actually need due to attractive displays and promotional offers. For instance, a quick trip for groceries at a hypermarket often turns into an unplanned spend on electronics or clothing, leading to unnecessary financial strain.

Additionally, this shift heavily affects small business owners who rely on daily footfall to survive. As local shops shut down, consumers lose competition in the market, allowing large retail hubs to charge maximum prices for products. In many cases, these corporations even force shoppers to buy paid membership cards or sign up for loyalty programs just to access reasonable discounts on basic purchases. On the other hand, traditional mom-and-pop stores offer personalized service and flexible options without forcing customers into long-term marketing traps.

To conclude, the shift towards large shopping malls is a negative trend that harms both consumers and small communities. Shopping at local stores not only saves valuable time and prevents impulsive spending, but it also directly boosts the local economy. Therefore, people should prioritize supporting neighborhood businesses over distant shopping centre.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response fully addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the closure of local shops is a negative development. The ideas are well-developed and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of impulse buying in large malls and the loss of personalized service in local stores. The arguments are logical and consistent throughout the essay. The response covers all parts of the task effectively, providing a balanced view of the consequences for both consumers and business owners. The position is maintained from the introduction through to the conclusion, demonstrating a strong grasp of the requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, starting with the inconvenience of travel and impulse buying, followed by the economic impact on small businesses. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to link ideas and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the transition between the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion is smooth. The flow of the argument is easy to follow, and the use of referencing is clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is varied and appropriate for the topic. The student uses a range of topic-specific terms such as 'impulse buying', 'retail hubs', 'footfall', and 'marketing traps'. The control of word choice is generally precise, and the language is natural. While there are no highly sophisticated or idiomatic expressions, the vocabulary is more than sufficient to convey complex ideas clearly and accurately. There are no significant errors in word choice or collocation that would impede the reader's understanding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a good command of a variety of complex sentence structures. The grammar is generally accurate, with the majority of sentences being error-free. There is a good mix of simple and complex forms, such as the use of conditional-like structures ('As local shops shut down, consumers lose...') and relative clauses. Punctuation is used correctly to support the clarity of the writing. While there is a minor error in the final sentence ('distant shopping centre' should be plural), it is a rare slip and does not affect the overall high quality of the grammar.

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