Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-26

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)

Nowadays, people prefer to shop at huge shopping malls instead of small local shops as a result of which small shops experience huge losses and eventually owners have to shut down those shops completely. In my opinion, shopping malls provide huge deals to attract people; however, the uniqueness of a product can be missed which is a negative development.

To begin with, shopping malls are becoming a one stop destination for customers as they can find everything at one place. For instance, for any family that consists of people of different ages can find clothes of various sizes at one place whereas some small shops have clothes available only for children and others might have it only for adults as a result of which they have to visit different shops and it can be time consuming. Also, in big malls there are offers available for the whole year which makes it economical for shoppers to buy any product. For example, offers like buy one get one free or 50% off on any product are advantageous because for a family of four, it becomes easy to mix and match items and get them on a discounted price. However, small shops usually do not have this kind of huge discounts unless they are closing permanently.

Conversely, people can find unique home decor or furniture items in small local shops and not in malls. Local shops have handcrafted items like flower vases or hand designed bedsheets and sofa covers made by local artists whereas these items available in malls are machine made and usually manufactured in bulk which is missing a human touch and therefore, uniqueness of an item can not be felt. Therefore, people should support items from local shops as it can not only help the shop owners but also artists who make the product. And if these shops shut down completely people will miss art and only find similar products everywhere which will be a negative development.

In conclusion, although shopping from malls is advantageous to get great deals on products, we should keep supporting local shops as it can provide unique items as well as good customer service.

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 negative development regarding the loss of uniqueness and local support, while acknowledging the convenience of malls. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the comparison between machine-made mall items and handcrafted local goods. To reach a higher band, ensure that the development of ideas is more balanced; the argument for malls is slightly more detailed than the argument for local shops. Nevertheless, the position is consistent and the main points are well-extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Also', 'Conversely', and 'Therefore' to guide the reader through your arguments. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the use of 'as a result of which' appears twice in close proximity, which affects the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the benefits of malls from the value of local shops. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'one stop destination', 'handcrafted items', and 'manufactured in bulk' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'huge deals' (better: 'significant discounts') and 'support items' (better: 'support local businesses'). While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, it lacks the sophisticated, less common lexical items that would characterize a higher band score. The spelling is accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several instances of complex sentences, such as 'for any family that consists of people of different ages can find clothes...', though this specific sentence has a grammatical error (the subject 'family' is disconnected from the verb 'can find'). Other errors include minor punctuation issues and occasional awkward phrasing. Despite these errors, your meaning is always clear, and the grammar does not impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and refining complex sentence constructions to ensure they are error-free.

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

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