Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-12

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)

These days people have more variety of clothes to choose from than they had around fifty years ago. In the contemporary epoch, it has been reckoned by many people that an upsurge in digital shopping will eliminate the need of shops in towns and cities. This essay will elucidate my disagreement on this proposition, and will share the testament in the subsequent paragraphs.

To commence with, having varied clothes and designs available on digital platform encourage unnecessary consumption. To elaborate, companies use persuasive techniques to create desire for products that people may not genuinely need. When they realized their mistake either they return packages or walk-in stores to exchange for something reasonable item. To exemplify, some people order a wrong size for their garment, most of the time their actual size was not available on their website, only option they have is to go im-person in shop to try-on clothes. Thus, aforementioned example vividly substantiates why it is preferable to have shops in cities.

To further solidify, many brands spread awareness regarding environment sustainability. To expound, production of clothes leads to various forms of pollution caused by raw material extraction, factory emission, packaging, and transportation. To cite an example, H&M policy not only promotes awareness regarding pollution caused by clothes, but also encourage consumers to submit their old ripped clothes in return to get bonus points in shopping. They reuse old raw material to create new fresh piece to reduce on renewable resources.

To recapitulate, the growth of digital shopping may reduce the number of shops in towns and cities but it is not practically possible to replace them entirely.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The essay addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The first body paragraph focuses on the inconvenience of online shopping, which is a relevant point, but the second paragraph shifts focus to environmental sustainability, which is less directly related to the question of whether physical shops will close. While the arguments are relevant, they could be more tightly focused on the core issue of the future of physical retail. The introduction is clear, but the conclusion is quite brief. To reach a higher band, ensure that every paragraph directly supports the central argument regarding the closure of physical stores.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with', 'To further solidify', and 'To recapitulate', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. The paragraphing is appropriate, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Referencing is generally clear, although some sentences within paragraphs could be better linked to improve the flow of the argument. Overall, the structure is sound and supports the development of the topic.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a good range of vocabulary, including phrases like 'contemporary epoch', 'upsurge', 'persuasive techniques', and 'environment sustainability'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'testament' (which is used incorrectly here) and 'reasonable item'. Additionally, 'im-person' is a spelling error. Despite these minor issues, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly and shows an attempt to use less common lexical items. The range is adequate for the task, though more precision would elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the need of shops' (should be 'need for'), 'most of the time their actual size was not available' (tense inconsistency), and 'in return to get bonus points' (should be 'in return for'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some awkward phrasings that slightly hinder the flow. While the errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy would be beneficial.

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