Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-29

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, trend has being shifted from small local shops to large shopping centres or malls due to increase in spending culture , fashion and many more aspects. Their is both positive and negative development for this situation i will discuss further with some instances.

One of the main reason is that people choose to go large shopping centres instead of small shops is due to their lifestyle, culture and most significant their spending power. Rich people who can afford luxury and costly things they never go to small local shops. Some people prefers branded things instead of local one. Large shopping centres promotes different rypes of discounts for their customers ,some free gifts for their customers. For instance, if you shop your grocery at Real Canadian Superstore you will get pc optimum points, you can use these points fro your future purchases, Moreover if you spend more than $300 in store you will get a free gift worth of 30$-40$ from superstore. A recent survey was conducted by Canadian media agency

it shows that Genz prefers to go malls becuase they wants to exhibit themselves.

On the other hand, old age people prefer local shops they feels that these shops are more convenient than large shops. Small shops are usually located near our housholds or neighourhood for easy access. People believe that small shops promote more quality than large shops. Prices in local shops are more cheaper than malls so it is easy for every income class people to spend or purchase anything for example my grandparents prefers to purcahse things from local shops as they believe that if you have good relation with shop owner you can buy things on credit and pay later on.

Lastly, I want to say both sides have negative and positive aspect but it is totally depends on one choice what he/she preferred a luxury lifetyle or simple living with affordable things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both the appeal of malls and the continuing value of local shops, using relevant examples such as loyalty points at Real Canadian Superstore and your grandparents buying on credit. However, the task asks you to decide whether the development is positive or negative, and your position remains unclear: the opening calls it both, while the conclusion says it depends on personal choice. This means the response only partly answers the central question. Some points are also asserted rather than explained—for example, the claim that local shops offer better quality is not supported with a reason or example. State a clear overall judgement and develop the strongest reasons for that view, while acknowledging the opposing side.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about shopping centres, a contrasting paragraph about local shops, and a conclusion. Phrases such as “On the other hand” help signal the shift between viewpoints, and the examples generally appear beside the relevant claims. However, progression is weakened by the unclear overall position and by ideas that are grouped without a clear relationship, such as spending power, discounts, and Gen Z’s wish to exhibit themselves. Some linking is mechanical or inaccurate, including “Lastly” before a conclusion that does not resolve the argument. Improve paragraph focus, connect each example explicitly to the point it supports, and use the conclusion to restate a consistent answer to the question.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “shopping centres,” “branded,” “discounts,” “convenient,” and “income class,” and the reader can generally understand the intended meaning. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “spending power” and “free gift.” However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision: “rypes,” “becuase,” “fro,” and “purcahse” appear, while “spending culture” and “exhibit themselves” do not express the intended ideas naturally in context. Some wording is repetitive, particularly “for their customers” and repeated references to “small shops.” Proofread spelling and choose more precise collocations; for example, describe shoppers as seeking to “show off” or “display their status” rather than saying they “exhibit themselves.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including conditional structures such as “if you shop your grocery … you will get” and a relative clause in “things they never go to small local shops.” These attempts show some range, but complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make parts less clear. Examples include “trend has being shifted,” “Their is,” “people prefers,” and “they feels”; these involve verb forms, agreement, and sentence construction. Punctuation and sentence boundaries also need attention: the survey sentence runs into the preceding paragraph, and the conclusion contains several clauses joined without clear punctuation. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and verb forms, and divide long sentences into controlled clauses.

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