Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-22

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)

In recent times, consumers travel to huge shopping malls to puchase all their goods which has lead to closure of numerous small shops in their neighbourhood. Although it provides a better shopping experience to the customers, I believe it is an undesirable development because it contributes to unemployment and environmental pollution, which has more significant impact on the societies.

Many individuals prefer to shop at large shopping centres because it provides them with multiple shopping options under one roof. Since they can buy both personal and household goods at the same mall, without travelling to different shops in search of their goods, it improves their overall shopping experience. For instance, Square One shopping centre in Missisauga provides customers a one-stop place to buy all the items ranging from grocery to makeup as it has all kinds of shops within the complex.

On the contrary, this trend has negatively influenced small local shops which have limited varieties and can provide only a few items of interest. Consequently, it has resulted in rise in unemployment by closure of such small small businesses, which has created a formidable affect on local economies. Furthermore, since the giant malls heavily relies upon international trade, this practice is associated with higher plastic wastage, carbon footprints and transport emissions, which signficantly escalate environmental pollution. Hence, this trend is negatively impacting both the local economies and the environment.

In conclusion, while such shopping practices offers convenience and riveting experiences to customers; to my belief, they are still unfavourable because they increase unemployment and thus afflict local economies, and are more damaging to the environment in the long run.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout. You have identified the trend and provided a balanced argument, ultimately arguing that the development is negative. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of 'Square One shopping centre'. To reach a higher band, ensure that the development of ideas is more consistent; for instance, the link between international trade and plastic waste could be explained in more detail to strengthen the argument. Overall, the response is well-focused and directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'For instance', 'On the contrary', and 'Furthermore', to guide the reader through your argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the benefits of malls from the negative impacts on local shops. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the relationship between sentences is generally clear. To improve, ensure that referencing is always precise; for example, 'this practice' in the third paragraph is clear, but ensure all pronouns have unambiguous antecedents to maintain a high level of flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'undesirable development', 'formidable affect', and 'riveting experiences' show an attempt to use less common lexical items. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'formidable affect' (should be 'effect') and 'heavily relies' (should be 'heavily rely'). Spelling errors like 'puchase' and 'signficantly' also occur. To achieve a higher band, focus on refining these collocations and ensuring accurate spelling of more sophisticated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You successfully employ complex sentences, such as 'Although it provides a better shopping experience... I believe it is an undesirable development'. However, there are several grammatical slips, including subject-verb agreement errors ('this practice... are associated', 'malls... relies') and minor punctuation or article usage issues. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band score. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences while maintaining control over subject-verb agreement will help improve your score in this criterion.

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

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