Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-13
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 6.0)
Increasing number of people prefer to shop online rather than visiting a physical store. This leads to the closure of stores due to weak demand one day. In my opinion, I agree that this might happen in the future. There are few reasons for that, this essay will discuss about the above statement.
I think the primary factor that is contributing to this is the convenience. From a tap of a button in mobile devices can place an order to purchase almost everything from homes. For instance, nowadays a dedicated apps are being introduced to deliver groceries within 10 minutes of order. This leads to ease of elderly family members, specially if they depend on other members for a visit to a supermarket.
The price of the products is another major reason. Cost of the products are often higher in retail stores compared to online platforms. This is mainly due to supply chains. Retailers do not get involved in online shopping, so the product can be sold for a cheaper price. For example, a Puma shoe might cost ₹2000 in offline stores, the same shoe costs only about ₹1600 in online stores.
Another minor factor to consider is the environment. Since people order from their homes, only the delivery persons has to travel to multiple locations, which reduces traffic congestion and lesser carbon emissions. If more people need to travel to the retail outlets, most prefer using their own private vehicles rather than public transportation. This also results in worsening of the air quality.
To conclude, this might result in closing of offline stores and loss to the owners. The advantages of purchasing online has lot more benefits to the consumers. For someone who prefers to shop in physical outlets, this might lead to worrisome in future. For majority who likes to shop online don’t have any impact in the future even if retail stores are completely shut down.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The essay addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The ideas regarding convenience, price, and environmental impact are relevant and supported with examples, such as the grocery delivery apps and the price comparison of shoes. However, the development is somewhat superficial. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, you should aim to explore the counter-arguments more deeply—for example, discussing why some physical stores might survive (e.g., experiential retail or immediate needs)—to provide a more balanced and nuanced perspective on the future of high-street shopping.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each focusing on a distinct point. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance,' 'Another minor factor,' and 'To conclude,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'This leads to the closure of stores due to weak demand one day.' The flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to the intended nouns.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'supply chains,' 'traffic congestion,' and 'carbon emissions' appropriately. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'leads to ease of elderly family members' (should be 'provides convenience for') and 'this might lead to worrisome' (should be 'this might be a cause for worry'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a dedicated apps'), subject-verb agreement ('Cost of the products are'), and pluralization ('most prefer using their own private vehicles'). Additionally, some sentence constructions are slightly awkward, such as 'From a tap of a button in mobile devices can place an order.' Improving your control over basic grammar and ensuring subject-verb agreement will significantly enhance the readability and accuracy of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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