Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-02

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 5.5)

Nowadays , due to advancement of technology most of the small scale bussinesses have colsed because people prefer to visit to large shopping centres or malls to do their shopping .This trend has both positive and negative outcomes.

One primary reason for the increased travel to large shopping centres is busy schedule of working people. Nowadays people might get less time to do such things like shopping and travelling. That will results in people preference of choosing malls instead of visiting local shops. Where people can get things under one roof and have a various options to choose from. That helps in saving their precious time which they use for their family and for travelling new places.

Moreover , shopping from large companies provides lots of offers and discounts on clothes and shoes. Due the lot of competition at one place every store trying their there best to sell their items to attract more people

On other hand, this trend could have negative impact on local shops, which mostly depend on customers from their local area. Therefore this also have huge negative impact on local economic growth. Local shops usually based on traditional products so the represent the unique culture that belongs to the particular area .If people stoped visiting these local stores the culture of that area also effected.

In conclusion, this topic has both positive and negative development .people should not depend on the bigger outlets they should contribute in local shops ,so these shops can survive's the culture things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task by discussing both the positive and negative aspects of the trend of small shops closing in favour of large malls. However, the position is not always clearly maintained, and the ideas presented are somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the positive points regarding time-saving and convenience are introduced in the second paragraph, but the explanation remains brief and relies on general assertions rather than extended, fully supported arguments. Similarly, the negative impacts on local economic growth and cultural representation are touched upon in the fourth paragraph, but these points lack deeper exploration. To move towards a higher band, the writer needs to ensure all ideas are fully extended with more specific examples and clearer reasoning throughout the entire response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, placing it at the six band level. Paragraphing is utilised to separate the positive and negative aspects of the topic, and basic cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On other hand', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty, as seen in fragmented sentence structures and abrupt transitions between ideas. Referencing and logical progression can also be inconsistent; for example, the connection between traditional products and cultural representation is stated rather than smoothly linked. To achieve a higher level of cohesion, the writer should employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure that the progression from one idea to the next is entirely seamless and logical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used provides an adequate range for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their thoughts on local shops and large malls. There are attempts to use less common items and topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'advancement of technology', 'traditional products', and 'economic growth'. However, noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form occur throughout the text, such as 'bussinesses', 'colsed', 'stoped', and 'survive's', which can occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. Additionally, phrasing can be imprecise, as seen in 'travelling new places' instead of visiting new places. To reach a higher standard, the student must expand their control of less common lexical items, improve precision in collocation, and ensure accurate spelling and word formation across all vocabulary choices.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside some attempts at complex forms. However, these attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty, leading to noticeable structural errors. There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('busy schedule of working people'), incorrect prepositions ('visit to large shopping centres'), subject-verb agreement issues ('every store trying their there best'), and punctuation flaws such as missing commas or misplaced spaces before punctuation marks. These frequent errors can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to increase their control over complex sentence patterns, ensure correct verb forms and articles, and refine their grasp of basic grammatical structures and punctuation.

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