Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-16
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)
In this current era, Online shopping is popular among young adults. Due to busy work schedule and to save time people like to do shopping through the phones, laptops. But i am disagree with this point that it will cause the physical stores to be closed in the metropolitan areas. So I will shed some lights on both the merits and demerits of doing online and physical shopping in the upcoming paragraphs.
To be start with the advanatge of online shopping it is believed that its time saving.As we know people are doing jobs to survive and they dont have to visit the stores and do the shopping.Instead ,they just want to use that time to relax. On the other side, due to this individuals are becoming introverts to go outside and see the world. Bargaining is another disadvanatge because prices are fixed on the websites.
The merits of buying things in-person gave the chance to the buyers to communicate with the owner and estimate the quality of the product. Also, they will get time to do some physical activity by going to many stores.But its literally time consuming and need time to travel.Also, some older people dont know how to use the websites and pages.
According to my point of view ,its evident that online shopping is popular but there are 50 percent of people who dont know how to use the technology to shop online and instead they like to go for shopping to the malls and spend time there. So i dont think Online buying will completely replace the in-person stores.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 stores. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the convenience of online shopping and the benefits of physical interaction, the arguments remain at a surface level. For example, the point about '50 percent of people' lacking technical skills is an assertion that lacks supporting evidence or deeper analysis. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or logical reasoning regarding the future of retail, rather than just listing pros and cons.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. Phrases like 'To be start with' and 'On the other side' are used, but the transitions between sentences are sometimes abrupt. The logical progression is present but occasionally feels disjointed, particularly in the transition between the benefits of online shopping and the disadvantages. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph flows naturally into the next would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'bad', or 'time consuming'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'shed some lights on' (should be 'shed some light on') and 'doing jobs' (should be 'working'). While the meaning is clear, the vocabulary is not sophisticated enough to demonstrate a wide range of lexical items. Incorporating more topic-specific vocabulary related to commerce and consumer behavior would improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('some older people dont know'), punctuation (missing spaces after commas), and article usage ('the advantage' vs 'an advantage'). The misuse of 'i am disagree' instead of 'I disagree' is a recurring error. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy and proofreading for small errors would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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