Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-15

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 mordern era everything is getting changed at large scale due to the advancement of technology. It has also changed the trend of shopping rather then buying for local shop people usually prefer for going to online shopping. Most people think this will results into the closing of local stores. I will discuss both point of views and give my opinion in the end.

First of all reasons why people opt online shopping rather than going to store. Main reason in this era everyone has no time to look for local stores to buy things it cosumes so much time. However, while going online every can order anything in just few minutes while sitting in their bedroom . Also, online shopping offers compare of prices and variety of items on a single screen rather than visiting different building. Moreover, online shopping exclusive articles than the stores mosly these items are out of stocks in town shops.

On the other hand offline shopping has its own benefits. Start with, most of the time items which area order online are not upto the mark what they area shown on the websites that fear leads people to go for buying at stores. Beacouse the items are fake galamourised at their shopping applications. Second issue is hard to find right fit of cloths through online shopping because we do not have option to try on before buying thing what local stores offer.

In the end I neither agree nor disagree with statement online shopping will results into closing of local stores. Nodoubt the online shopping saves our time but the trust we have with local shopkeepers can not be beat by shopping sites.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both sides of the argument regarding whether online shopping will replace physical stores, and provides a clear neutral position in the conclusion. The ideas presented are relevant, noting aspects such as time-saving convenience, price comparison, product authenticity concerns, and the inability to try on clothes. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, falling short of higher band thresholds where arguments must be fully extended and supported. For instance, points regarding product quality and fitting rooms are mentioned rather than thoroughly elaborated with detailed examples. The response meets the task requirements adequately, successfully addressing all parts of the prompt with a recognisable position, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing both perspectives, and a concluding paragraph. However, logical progression is occasionally hindered by abrupt transitions and a lack of smooth cohesive devices. Phrases such as 'Start with' and 'Second issue' are rather mechanical and unsophisticated. Paragraphing is attempted, though some paragraphs are overly dense or lack clear topic sentences to guide the reader seamlessly through the argument. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronouns and dangling modifiers. While the structural framework is present and the overall message can be followed without excessive difficulty, the cohesion lacks flexibility and precision, placing it firmly at the Band 5.5 to 6.0 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday concepts related to commerce and technology, such as 'advancement of technology', 'online shopping', and 'price comparison'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices throughout the text, including 'mordern' instead of 'modern', 'rather then' instead of 'rather than', and 'fake galamourised' instead of 'glamorized'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary often result in collocation errors or incorrect word forms, such as 'opt online shopping' instead of 'opt for online shopping' and 'compare of prices' instead of 'price comparison'. These errors indicate a limited range of resource that is minimally adequate, fitting the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability to construct multi-clause sentences, as seen in 'Most people think this will results into the closing of local stores.' However, the text is heavily marred by frequent grammatical errors, incorrect verb forms, and missing prepositions. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('this will results'), missing auxiliary verbs ('everyone has no time', 'every can order'), and incorrect prepositions ('buying at stores' instead of 'buying from stores'). Punctuation is also erratic, with missing commas and periods affecting sentence boundaries. Because these frequent errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and demonstrate weak control over complex structures, the writing corresponds to the Band 5 criteria.

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

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