Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-03
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)
Nowadays, citizens are more likely to purchase things from online websites to save time. Some people consider this trend negatively as they believe it will lead down local supermarkets may lead them permanently closed. However, I am totally disagrees with the notion because there are some stronger roots like cultural value, locals' trust and arts of regional markets which can not break-down their economy.
The main reason why some people still prefers to buy goods from town streets even in digital era is the reliability. Regular customers tend to have more trust on local vendors as they provide products' easily accessible guaranty and warranty. For example, a damaged mobile phone purchased from local shops can be repaired or replaced within a day only, while online customers have to wait for response of customer service assistant which delays a whole process.
Additionally, some people are genetically blessed with some unique and cultural talents. Many natives of small villages are making some precious goods by handcraft, pottery, painting, and threading. Therefore many people visit local market to get antique and historic items rather than buying online. Moreover this helps to stay connect with cultural importance and local history. For example, making bangles from the scratch has been in a trend since a decade in Rajasthan, many tourist are visiting there nowadays and purchasing bangles from there only instead of ordering online.
To conclude, although online shopping saves time and easily accessible, I believe offline shopping provide fast paced service and more reliability so there no chances of completely shut down of local shopping streets in an influence of a digital marketing strategies.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against the idea that online shopping will lead to the closure of all physical shops. The ideas are relevant, focusing on reliability and cultural value. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The second paragraph provides a clear example regarding mobile phone repairs, but the third paragraph relies on generalizations about 'genetically blessed' talents and specific examples like Rajasthan that are not fully explained in terms of how they prevent the closure of all shops. While the position is consistent, the argument could be strengthened by acknowledging the growth of online shopping more explicitly before refuting it, rather than just focusing on why physical shops remain popular.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Therefore', and 'To conclude' are used to link ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'lead down local supermarkets may lead them permanently closed'. Referencing is generally clear, but some transitions between sentences feel slightly abrupt. The progression of ideas is logical, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that sentences flow more naturally into one another.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward word choice or non-standard collocations, such as 'lead down local supermarkets', 'genetically blessed with some unique and cultural talents', and 'stay connect'. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'guaranty', 'warranty', and 'handcraft', the overall control is inconsistent. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message, but the errors in word formation and collocation occasionally distract the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that impede the flow. Examples include 'I am totally disagrees', 'products' easily accessible guaranty', and 'there no chances of completely shut down'. Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, the student should focus on basic sentence construction, specifically verb tense consistency and the correct use of articles and prepositions.
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