Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-30

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 6.0)

Nowadays, it is true that big shopping centers are in demand rather than small shops due to that some small shops have been closed. Meanwhile, big shopping centers have some advantages, but I think it is a negative development.

Some of the advantages of doing shopping in big shopping centres. Firstly, it saves our time because we get almost all things under the same roof such as groceries, clothes, footwear, electronics and so on and we don't need to travel to too many places to get things which also takes time and energy. Secondly, the quality of the things is also good. As we all know when we go for shopping in malls, we get a quality of all things, and we also get all brand things and additionally we also get warranty of some time on electronics things which is good and sometimes when our electronic device has any problem, they provide free services.

On the other hand, I think that it a negative development that larger shopping centers keep rising and due to that some small shops have closed. The first negative thing is that malls shopping is not affordable for everyone. As malls shopping is quite expensive as compared to small shops and due to that some peoples are also not able to get things that are used in daily lives. The second thing is that it also affects some people businesses because it is easy to open a small shop because it needs a small investment, however, malls demand for a big investment which is not possible for everyone. That's why it also reason for unemployment of some people anyhow.

The last thing it also affects environment because malls carried much amount of land as compared to small shops which needed to cut trees to build big shopping malls.

In conclusion, big shopping malls have their own benefits, but i think it is negative development that big shopping centres are becoming popular and due to that some small shops have closed

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages of malls and the negative impact on local shops, ultimately taking a clear position. The ideas are relevant, such as convenience and environmental concerns. However, the development of these points is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding environmental impact is mentioned but not fully explored. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and perhaps a specific example to support your claims. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and all parts of the prompt are addressed, fulfilling the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'On the other hand' to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'the last thing it also affects'. The progression of ideas is generally logical, but the transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall flow. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the structure is clear enough to follow without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'unemployment', 'investment', and 'affordable'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'malls carried much amount of land' and 'all brand things'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your argument. To improve, focus on learning collocations and more academic synonyms for common words. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'it a negative development', 'peoples are also not able', and 'it also reason for'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some missing articles and issues with subject-verb agreement. These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text, though they rarely prevent the reader from understanding your point. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with pluralization and verb forms.

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

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