Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-15

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 today's era, trend of shopping has been slightly shifted from small local shops to large shopping centres or malls. A large number of small local shops or vendors have closed due to this. I strongly believe this is a negative development for the society. In this essay, all the pessimistic aspects of this situation are discussed.

To begin with, the most negative impact of this situation is on small local vendors or shopkeepers. They have to close their small business as people are buying things mostly from large malls or shopping centres. It becomes very difficult for them to survive. Also this also leads to increase in gap of rich and poor. Rich people are getting more rich and poor are still below poverty line. A recent survey shows that in India, there is a rise of 6.7% people in below poverty line list in past five years. This also leads to increase in number of suicides and hunger deaths.

Furthermore, shopping from large malls or centres is quite expensive as compared to local shops as the cost of items includes the rent of large buildings, electricity and more workers. So, it becomes very difficult for middle class people to manage their expenses. I also believe that these increase in shopping malls is shifting our culture to western side. For excample, local shops also sell many handmade items which represent our culture , whereas these shopping malls are promoting western culture to a great level as they are mostly selling foreign brands.

To conclude, I believe this shift to the large shopping centres should be slightly controlled as this will affect the life of small businessmen to a great extent and on the other hand it would become very difficult for common people to mange their daily expenses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response clearly addresses the prompt, presenting a distinct position from the beginning that the closure of local shops is a negative development. All parts of the task are addressed, and the writer provides reasons and examples to support their views, such as mentioning the impact on local vendors and referencing a survey regarding poverty rates in India. However, some ideas tend to over-generalise or are slightly under-developed, such as the sweeping claim about a rise in suicides and hunger deaths or the assertion regarding cultural shifts. The development is generally relevant and clear, placing the response comfortably within Band 6.5 to 7.0. Given the clear positioning and well-extended supporting points, it meets Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured with an introduction, body paragraphs discussing distinct points (impact on vendors, economic disparity, and cultural changes), and a clear conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' are used appropriately to signal transitions between ideas. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and logically, with each paragraph focusing on a specific theme. While referencing and cohesive ties are mostly clear, occasional minor mechanical links prevent the response from achieving a higher band. Overall, the coherence and cohesion reflect a solid Band 7 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The writer uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, such as 'pessimistic aspects', 'economic disparity', and 'handmade items'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations feel slightly unnatural or awkward, such as 'shifting our culture to western side' and 'hunger deaths'. Spelling and word-choice errors are occasional, for instance, the misspelling 'excample' and minor phrasing issues like 'these increase in shopping malls'. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the vocabulary is adequate for the task, fitting the Band 6 descriptors well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating adequate control over grammar. Examples of complex structures include 'Vendors have to close their small business as people are buying things mostly from large malls' and 'It becomes very difficult for them to survive'. There are, however, several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as missing articles ('trend of shopping', 'increase in gap of rich and poor'), subject-verb agreement issues ('these increase in shopping malls is shifting'), and punctuation errors. Despite these recurring flaws, they rarely impede communication, allowing the writer to secure a Band 6.0.

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.