Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-24

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)

In the last few years, many small stores have closed their doors as people prefers shopping at giant shopping complexes. Although, big malls provide enormous job prospects, in my opinion, this new trend will negatively affect the economy.

To begin, there is no doubt that malls are great places to spend some time with the family. Also they offer a one-stop shopping experience to all customers where almost all brands are available under a single roof. Shopping centers like these are not only attractive to customers, but they also have a massive marketing budget. For example, a recent ad for, The Mall of America, was displayed at the Super Bowl with over a million people watching live. Factors like these influence people to make regular trips to these shopping complexes while local shops are affected.

On the other hand, local vendors are much less flashy but provide a tremendous value. First of all, products that are sold here are much more affordable as these stores operate on a relatively low cost. Moreover they source their ingredients locally sourced which directly contributes to the local community. Unlike malls, these shops help sustain the local economy as the wealth stays within the locality. Furthermore, stores like these are owned by families rather than venture capital companies. It is safe to say that family-owned businesses generally value quality over their quarterly profits.

In conclusion, malls provide an experience that could not be matched by local stores. However, in my opinion, local shops contribute a lot towards building and retaining a sustainable local community.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses the prompt directly, discussing both the advantages of large shopping centres and the benefits of local shops, and clearly establishes a personal position that the trend is a negative development. The student presents relevant ideas, such as the convenience and marketing power of malls contrasted with the economic sustainability and personal touch of family-owned businesses. However, some ideas could have been extended further; for instance, the mention of the Super Bowl advertisement is slightly disconnected from the general argument. Overall, the prompt is well-covered with a clear, sustained position throughout, aligning comfortably with the requirements of a Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing opposing views, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the arguments, such as "To begin", "On the other hand", and "In conclusion". Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different facets of the topic. However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical, and the sentence "Also they offer a one-stop shopping experience" begins with a loose transition. Nevertheless, the logical progression is clear throughout the text, warranting a solid Band 7 score for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision, using terms such as "enormous job prospects", "one-stop shopping experience", and "family-owned businesses". Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation. There is, however, a noticeable awkwardness in phrasing near the end, specifically "their ingredients locally sourced which directly contributes", which contains a grammatical and lexical repetition error. Despite occasional slips in word choice, the vocabulary is more than adequate to convey precise meaning without impeding communication, representing a standard Band 6.5 or 7.0, which rounds well to 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional and subordinate clauses like "Although big malls provide enormous job prospects, in my opinion, this new trend will negatively affect the economy." There are several grammatical errors present, such as subject-verb agreement ("as people prefers shopping") and a punctuation/cohesion slip ("Also they offer"). Furthermore, there is a redundant phrasing error in the sentence "ingredients locally sourced which directly contributes". While these errors occur, they rarely impede communication, and the writer demonstrates good control over the majority of the sentence structures attempted, reflecting a clear Band 6 performance.

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