Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-27

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 this modern era, cities are dovleping very fast. New shopping centers and malls are opening every year and attracts shoppers, on the other hand small shops are struggling to stay in business. It has both positive and negative impacts on people.

The big malls and shopping centers can be found in every city these days. They are very convenient for customers. For example, where a person is doing shopping at local shops he or she need to go different shops for different things. on the other hand if a person go to shopping center he or she can find different kind of stuff under one roof. They do not need to bouncing around to find the suitable shops. Moreover, malls have so many entertainment facilities, such as cinema gaming courts. It is the best place for families to shop as well as entertain their kids. Furthermore, malls can provide different verities as well as international brands, which cannot be found in small local shops.

On the other hand, this devllopment also has some downsides of it. The more people going to shopping center is a nightmare for local shops. They are barely surviving. For local shop owners It is very hard to compete with large malls and shopping centers, because they do not have big budget to compete with prices. If this keep going local shops may get out of business and the owners will need to find new jobs for them.

In conclusion, the big malls and shopping centers are very convenient for customers and are very modern. But they are kicking out small businesses from competition and they barely survive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the positive aspects of shopping malls and the negative impact on local shops. The position is clear throughout, although the development of ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the argument regarding convenience is well-supported with examples like 'entertainment facilities' and 'international brands'. However, the negative impact on local shops could have been explored with more depth or specific examples beyond just the lack of budget. The conclusion is a bit brief and merely summarizes the points rather than providing a final synthesis of the development. Overall, the response meets the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'on the other hand', 'moreover', and 'furthermore', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, although there are minor issues with sentence-level flow, such as the awkward phrasing in the second paragraph: 'where a person is doing shopping at local shops he or she need to go different shops'. Despite these minor lapses, the overall structure is coherent and supports the reader's understanding.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'entertainment facilities' and 'international brands'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'dovleping' (developing) and 'devllopment' (development), as well as minor word-choice inaccuracies like 'bouncing around' and 'different verities' (varieties). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word choice and spelling to reach a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'malls... attracts shoppers', 'he or she need to go') and article usage. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'The more people going to shopping center is a nightmare'. Punctuation is generally functional, but the control over complex structures is inconsistent. The errors are noticeable but rarely prevent the reader from understanding the intended message, which is characteristic of the band 6 level.

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