Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-09

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)

In the following years, the trend of purchasing goods from the neighbour shop have been replaced by the large shopping complexes. In the following paragraphs i will discuss both positive and negative change with the examples.

On the one hand by having all the shops in the shopping complex that will save time of commuting from one shop to another shop that is located in far distance and for commuting the consumers will use their vehicles or local transport it will take time for reaching the distance by having traffic in the road. Firstly, in shopping complex the consumer are having a number of options to buy a product from any store on the basis of good price and customer service. Nowadays, in the shopping complex there is food court if they are tired while walking over the whole shopping complex the customer can have some meal.

On the opposite side, by replacing the shopping from the local shop to shopping malls there is diffrence in price and how they greet their customer. In detail, there is price diffrence when purchasing from the shopping complex it is expensive and from local shop the consumer can get the same product in the cheaper price and if there they face any problem the shop can owner can replace the item. For example, i recently bought a new pair of clothes as i have visited many shops in the shopping complex there i can find numerous options but when seeing the price it is expensive and near to my house there is local cloth shop i visited and got a similar options with cheaper price and some discount.

By changing in the trend of shopping from the small businesses to big commercial complexes there is positive as well as negative development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both sides of the change, giving advantages of malls—such as having several stores and a food court—and disadvantages, including higher prices and the loss of convenient local service. The personal example about comparing clothing prices is relevant and helps illustrate the contrast. However, the question asks whether the development is positive or negative, and your conclusion says it is both without making a clear overall judgement. Several points are also only briefly explained: for example, the time-saving claim is difficult to follow, and the effects of local shops closing on neighbourhoods are not explored. State your position clearly in the introduction and conclusion, then develop fewer reasons with clearer explanation and support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the opposite side,” and “For example” help readers follow the broad organisation. However, progression within sentences and paragraphs is sometimes difficult to track, particularly in the opening body paragraph, where commuting, traffic, store choice, and the food court are joined in a long sequence. Some linking is mechanical, and the conclusion repeats the two-sided discussion rather than bringing the argument to a clear endpoint. Use shorter, more focused sentences, group related reasons together, and make references such as “they” and “there” explicit so the connections between ideas remain clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to discuss shopping, including “shopping complex,” “consumer,” “customer service,” “price,” and “local shop.” The example also uses relevant terms such as “options” and “discount.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are repeated, especially “shopping complex” and “local shop.” Some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “neighbour shop,” “good price,” and “a similar options,” which can make the meaning less natural. There is also a spelling error in “diffrence.” Build a more precise range for comparing retail settings, and check collocations and spelling. For instance, use “neighbourhood shop,” “competitive prices,” and “a similar option.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “when” and “if,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, complex sentences are often not controlled successfully, and frequent errors affect clarity. For example, “the trend … have been replaced” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “the consumer are having” and “the shop can owner can replace” show errors in agreement and sentence construction. Several sentences run together without clear punctuation, particularly the first sentence of the body paragraph. Articles, plurals, and verb forms also need attention. Practise building one main clause at a time, then add a subordinate clause with accurate agreement and punctuation; this will let you express your ideas without losing the reader.

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