Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-12

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 6.5)

In recent years, online stores has become increasingly popular due to its convenience. Some individuals believe that this trend will lead to the closure of physical stores. I disagree with this view because there are people who prefer in-person shopping. Also, some businesses cannot be fully replaced by online stores.

Physical stores allow people to feel, touch and examine the products they want to purchase. For instance, some consumers would like to physically confirm the size and appearance of some items they want to purchase before making payment to ensure that the item they are paying for suit them appropriately. Although some online stores provide descriptions and images, it doesn't offer the same amount of confidence when compared to a physical store.

Additionally, physical stores offer some form of social and recreational activity. Shopping centers and malls create an avenue for social interaction. As a young child, I looked forward to visiting the shopping mall with my family on Sundays because we get to spend quality time together and sometimes play with other kids at the mall. Traditional stores cannot provide this sort of interaction and social network to its consumers. Furthermore, there are services that particularly require physical interaction. Businesses like hair salons, repair shops and hospitals require human-to-human interaction to function.

Admittedly, there's a rapid growth of online stores because individuals can order products from any part world at the comfort of their homes without having to travel a long distance. However, this trend cannot lead to the disappearance of traditional stores, instead they can coexist together.

In conclusion, although e-commerce has become rampant in the world due to the convenience it provides, it cannot fully replace the local shops because some people prefer physically evaluating the products they want to purchase. Also it enhances some form of communal and social life. There are essential services they are dependent on physical workshops.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you disagree that online shopping will eliminate town and city shops. You address the question with relevant reasons, including the value of examining products in person, the social role of malls, and services such as salons and hospitals that require face-to-face contact. The childhood example makes the social point more concrete, and you acknowledge the opposing view by noting online shopping’s convenience. Some support is less fully developed: the claim that certain businesses cannot be replaced is broad, and the examples could explain more precisely why physical premises are essential. Overall, the response addresses the task and supports its position, but fuller explanation of each reason would strengthen it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs develop reasons, and the final paragraphs acknowledge the opposing side and restate your position. Ideas generally progress logically, and linking expressions such as “For instance,” “Additionally,” “Admittedly,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. The paragraph about social interaction moves naturally from malls to your personal example and then to services requiring physical contact. At times, however, the connections between points could be more precise: the shift from recreational shopping to hospitals and repair shops brings together different kinds of support. Grouping related examples more tightly and using clearer references in the conclusion would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss shopping and community life, including “in-person shopping,” “social interaction,” “e-commerce,” and “communal and social life.” These choices communicate your ideas clearly, and the response includes some topic-specific language. However, several expressions are imprecise or awkwardly collocated, such as “from any part world,” “at the comfort of their homes,” and “some form of social and recreational activity.” Repetition of “physical stores,” “purchase,” and “interaction” also limits flexibility. Aim for more natural phrasing and a wider range of accurate alternatives, while checking word forms and collocations. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they keep the vocabulary from sounding consistently precise and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including a concession beginning “Although some online stores provide descriptions and images” and a relative clause in “services that particularly require physical interaction.” Most sentences are understandable, and the range allows you to explain examples and contrast viewpoints. Some grammatical errors remain. For example, “online stores has become” has subject–verb disagreement, while “the item they are paying for suit them” also needs agreement. In “we get to spend quality time,” the tense shifts from the past-time context, and “there are services they are dependent on physical workshops” has an unclear grammatical relationship between clauses. Review agreement, tense consistency, and clause construction to make your complex sentences more controlled.

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