Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-16
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 5.0)
I am going to discuus about large shopping centre are taking over on the small local shops in past few years.It is a postive development for the industry.I will discuss some merits os this development.
I am begining with we have more options in shopping malls as compare to local shops.For example if i am going to buy clothes for my family at any local clothing store i have some limited option it might be a only mens store so i can not shop for my whole family from the same store.But on the othersise, i can shop everything from the same wall with more variety also i can compare the prices with some other shops as well in this way i can save my money and time as well.
Furthermore, we can also find better quality items in shopping malls as compare to local shops.For example we can find some international brands in the shopping malls we can buy better quality from there also we can buy items which are not not available at local shops.Moreover, Shopping centre are more assable with public transit as they mostly located in middle of the cities so it saves travel time and also good for them who do not have their own vehicles.
In the conclusion,I am strongly in the favour of this development as in future it will save lots of time and money.Also people will get more variety in every development.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the rise of shopping centres is a positive development and supports this with relevant ideas, such as variety, pricing comparisons, and accessibility. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. More importantly, the response falls below the required word count, containing 241 words compared to the minimum of 250. This negative impact on task completion restricts the score. To improve, the student should expand further on their main points with more detailed explanations or examples and ensure the length requirement is fully met.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay has an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, showing an attempt at logical organisation. However, the progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and basic transitional markers like 'I am begining with' and 'Furthermore'. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion is often faulty or mechanical, with referencing that is occasionally unclear, such as 'good for them who do not have their own vehicles'. The overall arrangement achieves basic coherence, but a greater variety of cohesive devices and smoother transitions between ideas are needed to reach a higher band level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate basic vocabulary to discuss shopping malls and local shops, attempting some less common items such as 'international brands' and 'public transit'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies, inappropriate word choices, and spelling errors, such as 'discuuus' instead of discuss, 'postive' instead of positive, 'assable' instead of accessible, and 'wall' instead of mall. These errors, while not completely impeding communication, occur frequently and reflect a limited lexical range suitable for a Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but attempts at complex structures frequently contain errors. There are numerous grammatical mistakes, including missing articles, punctuation errors, incorrect verb forms ('i am going to buy', 'i can not shop'), and run-on sentences with comma splices. For instance, 'It is a postive development for the industry.I will...' lacks spacing after the period, and 'Shopping centre are more assable' exhibits subject-verb agreement issues. Frequent errors cause some difficulty for the reader.
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.