Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-14
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)
With the advancement of technology, the growth of online shopping has been increase recently. It is a debatable topic that online shopping will have a negative impact on all the shops in cities and coutryside. I am agree to this statement and I will explain all the points in the upcoming paragraphs.
To begin with, Nowdays, people are very busy in their work and personal schedule. They do not have any spare time to go out for shopping. They choose order online and get it deliver at their homes to avoid any kind of hustle. For example, if someone works 9 to 5pm they do not any time to go to a shop to get something because they have to spend some time with their family, so they prefer online shopping.
Moreover, online shopping is more convenient than go to a shopping mall. people can save their gas money and they do not need to wait in the long lines to pay for their goods and services. However, they can go to a website weather they want to order any food or clothes and with the one click they will get everything deliver at their door. For Example, someone has a newborn baby they do not need to worry about how to go get their basic stuff because online shopping has made it easy for them.
In conclusion, I would like to say that go to a physical store for shopping has its own advantages like check the product quality, variety and matrial before you pay however, online shopping has overshadow it and will lead to all shops closing in future.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on whether online shopping will cause all physical shops to close. The writer agrees with the statement and supports this stance with relevant, everyday examples, such as busy work schedules and the convenience of home delivery for parents with newborns. However, the ideas tend to be somewhat repetitive, focusing heavily on convenience and time-saving aspects rather than branching out into broader economic or structural factors. Additionally, there is a minor over-generalisation in concluding that all shops will definitely close, but the position remains clear throughout. According to the band descriptors, this performance aligns closely with Band 6.0, as it addresses all parts of the prompt with relevant ideas, though some areas remain under-developed or repetitive.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The student attempts to use standard cohesive markers such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, phrases like 'I am agree to this statement and I will explain all the points in the upcoming paragraphs' are formulaic and detract slightly from the natural flow. Paragraphing is used, but the internal logical progression within paragraphs sometimes stumbles due to abrupt transitions, such as 'However, they can go to a website...'. This level of organisation and cohesive control sits comfortably within Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their thoughts on online shopping. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary items and phrases, such as 'advancement of technology', 'debatable topic', and 'convenient'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'has been increase recently' instead of 'has increased recently', 'coutryside' (spelling error), 'hustle' instead of 'hassle', and 'matrial'. Furthermore, the student uses phrasing like 'go to a shopping mall' and 'get everything deliver'. These lexical inaccuracies and spelling slips do not impede overall communication, placing the response at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms, such as conditional-like structures ('if someone works 9 to 5pm they do not any time...'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors such as subject-verb agreement issues, missing verbs or auxiliary verbs ('they do not any time'), incorrect prepositions ('go to a shopping mall' instead of 'going to'), and tense inconsistencies ('has been increase'). Punctuation and article usage also show regular lapses. While these errors rarely completely impede understanding, their frequency across simple and complex structures prevents the writing from reaching Band 6.0, making Band 5.0 a more accurate reflection of the student's control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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