Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In todays world, there is a growing debate around shopping methods, and people have contarsting opinions on the issue. Some people asserts that the trend of shopping online will have a negative impact on stores around the city and eventually lead to permanent closure. Despite some counterarguements I completely disagree that online shopping can completely shut-down the local stores around the towns.

Firstly, one of the primary reasons why I think online shopping can never replace the local stores completely is the satisfaction of checking the items before buying which is only possible by visiting the store physically. For example, a person buying a shirt is able to inspect whether the shirt is made of good quality fabrics and has a correct fit. Checking items physically before buying reduces the risk of receiving damaged or incorrect products.

Another significant point to consider is shopping offline will help local markets grow massively that will help people around the city to obtain jobs and continue their livelihood within the city. For instance, local farmers can sell their crops in the markets around the city which eliminate the travelling and transportation expenses to farmers as well as buyers. Furthermore, buying from local markets will help in overall development of the city by boosting the economic growth.

In conclusion

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you disagree that online shopping will close all local shops, and you give two relevant reasons—customers can inspect goods in person, and local markets support jobs and the city economy. The examples about checking a shirt’s fit and farmers selling crops help make these points concrete. However, the second reason is less fully explained, and the response does not consider how online shopping may affect different types of shops or acknowledge the opposing view beyond mentioning “counterarguments.” Most importantly, the conclusion is unfinished, so the response does not provide a complete ending. The response is also 35 words below the required minimum. Develop each reason further and finish with a concise restatement of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs, and an attempted conclusion. The ideas within each body paragraph are generally relevant and follow a sensible order, while “Firstly,” “For example,” and “Furthermore” help signal relationships. However, the final paragraph contains only “In conclusion” and no concluding idea, which interrupts the overall progression and leaves the argument incomplete. Some links are also mechanical, and the connection between local markets, employment, and city development could be made more explicit. Complete the conclusion and use clearer transitions to show how each example supports your main position; this would make the organisation feel more fully developed.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “permanent closure,” “inspect,” “local markets,” “transportation expenses,” and “economic growth.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions show an attempt to be precise. There are, however, several spelling errors, such as “todays,” “contarsting,” and “counterarguements,” as well as awkward or imprecise phrasing such as “continue their livelihood within the city” and “shut-down the local stores.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy and naturalness. Proofread spelling and choose more idiomatic collocations—for example, “earn a living locally” and “force local shops to close”—to make your vocabulary more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “a person buying a shirt is able to inspect whether…” and a conditional-style explanation of how physical inspection reduces risk. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors are present. For example, “Some people asserts” has subject–verb disagreement, and “shopping offline will help local markets grow massively that will help people” has an unclear clause connection. In “local farmers can sell their crops … which eliminate,” the verb does not agree with its subject. The opening also needs an apostrophe in “today’s.” Work on agreement and on joining clauses with clear relative pronouns or conjunctions; this will improve accuracy while preserving your sentence variety.

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