Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-14

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 trend of shopping online has increased nowadays. This affects the in-person shopping adversely. That is why, some people think that in future, it contributes to the closure of all shops in cities and towns. I disagree with this statement and would like to discuss it in the following paragraphs.

With the technological advancements, online shopping becomes much convenient but it will not replace the in-store shopping entirely because at online platforms, comparison of fabrics is generally challenging. For example, for baby shopping muslin and soft clothes are preferable but examining those at online platforms is not possible. Moreover, some online platforms do not deliver the exact product which creates trust issues among shoppers. Additionally, cybercrime has increased a lot. Online shopping requires buyers to add the card details but some fraud people steal these details. That is why, trend of phisching has increased.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 144 words long. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you clearly state your position and provide some relevant arguments regarding the limitations of online shopping (e.g., inability to inspect fabric quality and security concerns), the ideas are underdeveloped. To reach a higher band, you must expand on these points with more detailed explanations and perhaps include a counter-argument or a broader perspective on the future of retail. The current length prevents a full, well-supported discussion of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and body section. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'That is why' to link your ideas. However, because the essay is quite short, the progression of ideas feels somewhat abrupt. The transition between the point about fabric quality and the point about cybercrime could be smoother. To improve, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that you use a wider variety of linking words to connect your sentences and arguments more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'technological advancements', 'cybercrime', and 'phishing'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'baby shopping' (should be 'shopping for baby clothes') and 'fraud people' (should be 'fraudsters' or 'criminals'). The vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. Try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing to enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors. For instance, 'online shopping becomes much convenient' should be 'has become much more convenient', and 'trend of phisching' contains a spelling error ('phishing'). There are also issues with article usage and verb tenses. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and correct tense usage. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to limit your score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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