Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-13

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)

At present, the development has been thriving day by day. Recently, the construction of mall and skyscraper shopping centers are attracting masses to do shopping, due to which little local businesses are shut down; however, it is deleterious development, because it will not only take way the income factors from local people but also it will affect to nation's economy. All aspects are explained in the following paragraphs.

To commence with, there are numerous adverse effects happen while individuals visit major building for shopping instead of local shops. Firstly, it will take away the income factor from individuals.

To explicate, when people do their whole shopping from malls, and large shopping centers, local shops owner do not get customers as well as they are unable to make profits, which will not allow them to fulfil their family's requirements. As a result, they are getting stress and anxiety, they are not be mestable

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 152 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, as the essay is incomplete and lacks a conclusion. While the student identifies the topic as a 'deleterious development' and attempts to provide reasons, the arguments are underdeveloped and lack sufficient supporting examples. The task is only partially addressed due to the severe lack of length and the abrupt ending of the text, which prevents a full discussion of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay attempts to use basic cohesive devices such as 'To commence with' and 'Firstly', but the progression is interrupted by the incomplete nature of the text. Paragraphing is present, but the second paragraph is cut off mid-sentence, which disrupts the logical flow. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall structure is insufficient to demonstrate a clear progression of ideas. The lack of a concluding paragraph further hinders the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are instances of awkward phrasing and incorrect word choices, such as 'income factors' and 'they are not be mestable'. The student attempts to use more academic vocabulary like 'deleterious' and 'explicate', but these are not always used in the correct context or with natural collocation. The limited length restricts the opportunity to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'it will affect to nation's economy' (incorrect preposition) and 'local shops owner do not get customers' (missing pluralization). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly in the final sentence. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic sentence construction limits the score.

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

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