Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-07
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)
An online shopping system has become the norm of the day.It is quickly replacing physical shopping. But still it is not possible to completely eradicate the trend of in-store shopping.
I completely disagree to this idea that online shopping will one day lead all the shops in towns and cities closing.
Face to face retail is something irreplaceable due to many reasons. Most Important reason why people loves to enjoy on site shopping is that they want an escape from a boring routine. A person who works five to six days per week really wants a break to recharge their batteries and visiting a market or a mall makes you forget your routine for some hours.
Furthermore, Onsite shopping specially from a mall, provides you an opportunity to enjoy a meal in a good restaurant and food court with your friends and family.
Online shopping is only good for some items only. Most people prefer to buy clothes and shoes from outlets rather than from online stores because most of the time size and stuff quality issues occur with these things.
Conversely, Online shopping has made our lives much more easier in some aspects. It can be illustrated by an example that if you have a demanding schedule and you need something urgently, you can Purchase it online. It saves your time, energy.
In addition to this, online shopping also saves your fuel cost and transport fare. You do not need to visit market in person and it helps you in saving your money.
As a whole, Online and Onsite shopping both can be beneficial in their own perspective. Depending upon the situation, need of time and a person's own mood both modes of shopping has their own benefits.
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
You have clearly stated your position against the prompt and provided relevant reasons, such as the social aspect of shopping and the practical limitations of online retail. However, the development of your ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'recharging batteries' is a good start but could be expanded with more specific examples of how physical stores provide experiences that online platforms cannot replicate. While you address the prompt, the response feels a bit brief in its analysis, and the conclusion is somewhat generic. To reach a higher band, ensure each main point is fully explored with detailed supporting evidence.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
Your essay is logically organized, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'Conversely', and 'In addition to this' to link your ideas. However, the transition between paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved for better flow. For example, the shift from the benefits of physical shopping to the benefits of online shopping is abrupt. Additionally, some sentences are short and choppy, which affects the overall flow of the argument. Using a wider variety of linking phrases and ensuring smoother transitions between contrasting ideas would improve your score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to express your ideas, such as 'eradicate', 'demanding schedule', and 'perspective'. However, there are some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'norm of the day' (which is a bit informal) and 'makes you forget your routine'. You also repeat the word 'shopping' frequently. To improve, try to use more precise synonyms and academic collocations. For example, instead of 'stuff quality', use 'product quality' or 'material quality'. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated, topic-specific vocabulary would help you achieve a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'I completely disagree to this idea' (should be 'with'), 'makes our lives much more easier' (double comparative), and 'both modes of shopping has' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after periods in the first paragraph. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and avoid redundant comparatives. Incorporating more complex sentence structures with fewer errors will help you move into the higher bands.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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