Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-05

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)

Online shopping has grown significantly in recent years by providing variety of products to the customers without leaving their houses. Some people strongly argue that this trend will cause to lead the closure of all local retail shops. I completely disagree with this view because many customers will still value of purchasing goods from the retail shops.

On the one hand, there are several factors for the growth of online shopping as it offers secure, fast and reliable way to deliver the items. This not only provides the comparison of prices with other online shops, but also gives an opportunity to rely heavily on it as it is cost-effective, convenient and more trustworthy. For example, recent study shows that many people are now more inclined towards this trend as they can compare the prices and it gives freedom to purchase at affordable price. Items such as, electronic devices and household items are often bought online and has certainly overweighed the traditional method of purchasing from retail shops.

However, I do not believe the fact that all shops will disappear from the town. Many old generation consumers and senior citizens still prefers the old-fashion way of buying things. They wish to enter the store and feel the touch of garments they want to buy. Furthermore, places like cafes, restaurants and hair salons will still likely to function regularly as it cannot provide services online. This requires a face-to-face interaction with people and a physical location to offer their services. Thus leading it to not close these businesses.

Another reason, people love to spend their quality time with their friends and families by gathering at a shopping centre. Furthermore, this place not only allow people to buy goods, but it is more than just a place where it gives an opportunity to reconnect with their loved ones by sharing a plate of food. In addition to this, it strengthens the bond between the community and locals by showing our way of supporting the economy and contributing in it, by visiting the local shops.

In conclusion, although online platforms are growing in numbers and have many positive outcomes by providing fast and secured delivery, physical stores will still likely to stay in its place and will continue to operate in the same manner. I do not believe it will cause to close all the shops and stores in our towns and cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt and maintained a clear position throughout the essay. Your arguments regarding the social and experiential value of physical shopping are well-developed and relevant. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting examples are more specific; for instance, instead of mentioning a 'recent study' in general terms, you could briefly describe a specific trend or observation. Your ideas are extended logically, and the conclusion effectively reinforces your stance. Overall, the response is well-focused and directly answers the question provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use a variety of cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'However', and 'In addition to this' to link your points. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. For example, the phrase 'Thus leading it to not close these businesses' is a bit awkward and could be integrated more naturally into the preceding sentence. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate distinct arguments, which helps the reader follow your line of reasoning easily.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'inclined', 'cost-effective', and 'traditional method'. There are some minor errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'value of purchasing' instead of 'value in purchasing' and 'overweighed' instead of 'outweighed'. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, these occasional inaccuracies prevent a higher score. However, the meaning is always clear, and your vocabulary is sufficient to express your ideas effectively without causing any confusion for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures throughout the essay. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'will still likely to function' (should be 'will still likely function' or 'will still be likely to function') and 'cause to lead the closure'. Additionally, subject-verb agreement issues appear, such as 'items... has certainly overweighed'. Despite these errors, your meaning remains clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. To improve, focus on refining your use of modal verbs and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement in more complex sentence constructions.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.