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)
The ecommerce has reached at its peak, due to that some people believe in near future online shopping will outweigh the all shops in cities. However, I am disagree with this statement at larger extent. In this essay, I will give my opinion and shed some light on it.
It is believed by most of us that sudden boom in online shopping will be the reason behind closing all retail businesses in market. In contrast, majority of customers, prefer to buy from local shops which is is going to help indirectly to the local shop owners and vendors. To support this, there are plethora of items as a customer we buy from the local shops on daily basis such as grocery, milk, and vegetables. These things might be available on online shopping sites but most of the customer wants to check the quality of what they are going to eat before they actually buy.
Moreover, nowadays we find plenty of choice and options on online in terms of cloths, electronics, and households but what customer want is quality, service, and price negotiation with shopkeeper which is missing factor in online shopping. These crucial factors may lead local business to get revenue and stop being obsolete.
On the other hand, Online shopping has its own benefits, which some time affecting local retail shops revenue. For instance, when you buy something online you get so many deals such as discounts on using credit card and return policy which someone can not get in person.
Ultimately, There are for sure some advantages of online shopping and they could affect at some level to the revenue of local shops in market, but that does not affect them to the extinction.
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 total closure of physical shops. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the importance of checking quality and the social aspect of shopping, these points could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis. The argument regarding 'price negotiation' is a good point, but it is not fully explored. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph provides a more detailed explanation of why these factors will prevent the total extinction of physical retail, rather than just listing them as features.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'Ultimately' to link your thoughts. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'which is is going to help indirectly', where the connection to the previous clause is slightly awkward. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'obsolete', 'extinction', and 'revenue'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'The ecommerce has reached at its peak' (should be 'E-commerce has reached its peak') and 'outweigh the all shops' (should be 'outweigh all shops'). Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'shed some light on it' in this context. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that your vocabulary is used in the correct grammatical context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'I am disagree with this statement' (should be 'I disagree'), 'sudden boom... will be the reason behind closing all retail businesses' (should be 'closing of all retail businesses'), and 'some time affecting' (should be 'sometimes affects'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are minor errors with article usage and verb forms. To achieve a higher score, you need to increase the frequency of error-free sentences and refine your control over complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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