Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-10

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)

The massive increase in online shopping is believed to close all the markets in the city. I partly agree to this as there are both pros and cons of having a store in person as well as shopping online.

Firstly, I would like to talk about online shopping, it is the best thing for people who do not like to leave their houses and go out to public places. As, this gives them the convenience to stay at home and order things that they need. These days you can get everything at your door step in minutes. People have developed apps like Uber eats, door dash and different shopping apps where you can get all types of daily essentials like clothes, accessories, skincare etc. It is very beneficial for students who have studies to cope up with as this could really help them save their time. Similarly, On days when a person is unwell and are in a need for something particular, it takes seconds to get it online. Overall, It makes life more easier and saves valuable time.

On the other hand, there are many drawbacks to this, which makes part of the population to not believe in buying things on web. A huge amount of scams and unwanted business are anonymously run behind these famous applications like amazon, shein etc where they list some items and then they ship things that are completely different or are of very bad quality and then refuse to give back a refund or a return service. A similar case that happened recently with me was with a dress that I ordered online, I bought the size S and followed the size measurements that were given in the particular website but once I received the item it was the size that I ordered but the fitting was not right and it was due to the misleading and vague information that was given for the measurements on their website. In addition to this, going to the shopping centres with your friends and family to hangout and do some window shopping is something that people enjoy to do during their free time. It keeps the businesses alive in the city which ultimately affects the country's economy.

In conclusion, I believe shopping online has grown in recent days and it will affect the amount of shops and businesses that we see in person because of the convenience and comfort that online shopping provides. On the flip side, closing all stores is something that will not occur or is even possible in the upcoming generations because many people do not trust the online services and they prefer to see things in person or try it before they decide to buy and invest their money on it. And it is a culture that has been followed from ancient times and something that will continue in the upcoming years as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the convenience of online shopping and the enduring value of physical stores. You clearly state your position in the introduction and maintain it throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of social interaction and the risk of scams. However, the development is somewhat uneven; while the personal anecdote about the dress is illustrative, it is a bit anecdotal for an academic-style essay. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are more generalised and analytical rather than relying heavily on personal experience. Overall, all parts of the task are addressed, and a clear position is maintained.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use transition signals like 'Firstly', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some cohesive devices are used in a slightly mechanical or repetitive way. For instance, the transition between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the flow. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are slightly disjointed. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is logical, moving from the benefits of online shopping to the drawbacks and finally to a balanced conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'convenience', 'essentials', 'misleading', and 'vague'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but some word choices are slightly imprecise or informal, such as 'make life more easier' (a grammatical error that also affects lexical precision) and 'do some window shopping'. There are also minor errors in collocation, such as 'in a need for something'. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the city', 'a need'), subject-verb agreement ('it makes life more easier'), and punctuation (comma splices). For example, 'As, this gives them...' is grammatically incorrect. While you attempt complex sentences, they often contain errors that slightly distract the reader. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and punctuation, particularly the use of commas and articles, before attempting more complex structures. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score.

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